The first public readings of the Declaration of Independence were held on July 8, 1776.
The readings occurred at noon in Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, and Easton, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, John Nixon read the document aloud in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. These events brought Congress’s declaration directly to public audiences only days after adoption.
The Declaration had been approved on July 4, and The Pennsylvania Evening Post printed it on July 6. General George Washington ordered it read to his troops in New York City on July 9, giving the document an immediate military audience as well.
July 8 is sometimes confused with July 4 because the latter is the adoption date and the national anniversary. It is also distinct from August 2, the date on which most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy.