The first public readings of the Declaration of Independence took place on July 8, 1776.
The readings occurred at noon in three locations: Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, and Easton, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, John Nixon read the document in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall.
These readings helped turn a congressional decision into a public announcement. Printed copies were distributed after John Dunlap produced broadsides in Philadelphia, and the text was read to crowds and military units. General George Washington ordered a reading to his troops in New York City on July 9.
The July 8 date is separate from the document’s adoption on July 4 and from the date on which most delegates signed the parchment copy, August 2. These different milestones are often merged in popular retellings, but each marks a distinct stage in the Declaration’s creation and circulation.