About 200 first-edition Dunlap broadsides were estimated to have been printed for the declaration celebrated by America250.
John Dunlap printed the broadsides in Philadelphia shortly after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. These sheets were the first published versions of the document and were intended for rapid distribution throughout the colonies.
The exact original number is not known, so “about 200” is more accurate than a precise total. Copies were sent to military leaders, colonial communities, Britain, and other locations. George Washington received a copy and ordered the declaration read aloud to his troops.
Only a small number survive today. Their rarity has made them valuable historical artifacts, but they differ from the engrossed parchment copy signed by the delegates.