The Declaration of Independence was first published in The Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776.
Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, but adoption and publication were separate events. John Dunlap printed broadsides of the text during the night of July 4, allowing copies to circulate before the newspaper printed it. The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to publish the Declaration, two days after Congress approved it.
This timing helps explain a common misunderstanding: July 4 marks adoption, not the first newspaper appearance. The signed parchment copy was also not completed and signed by all delegates on July 4. Most delegates signed the engrossed copy on August 2, while others added their names later.
The Declaration then spread through broadsides, newspapers, public readings, and military announcements. Its publication transformed a congressional resolution into a widely readable public statement explaining why the thirteen colonies claimed independence from Great Britain.