Two hundred printed Dunlap broadsides of the Declaration of Independence were initially ordered.
John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, commissioned printer John Dunlap to produce copies for rapid distribution after Congress adopted the Declaration in July 1776. These large single-sheet printings became known as the Dunlap broadsides.
The copies were sent to political leaders, military commanders, and communities throughout the thirteen states. One was dispatched to George Washington, whose troops were in the New York area, with instructions that the document be read aloud. The broadsides helped transform a congressional action into public news during wartime.
The surviving number is smaller than the original order because many copies were lost, damaged, or discarded. Historians generally identify 26 surviving Dunlap broadsides. The rare sheets are among the most important surviving physical witnesses to the Declaration’s first public circulation.