The first widely distributed printed editions of the Declaration of Independence celebrated by America250 were called Dunlap broadsides.
John Dunlap, a Philadelphia printer, produced the first published versions of the declaration shortly after Congress adopted it. These large single-sheet prints are known as Dunlap broadsides, after the printer who made them. They were sent to colonial governments, military leaders, and other recipients so the declaration could be read and circulated quickly.
The broadsides are different from the famous engrossed parchment copy. The engrossed copy is the carefully handwritten document bearing the delegates’ signatures, while the Dunlap broadsides were printed sheets intended for distribution. John Hancock’s name appears on the early printed version, but the full set of 56 signatures is associated with the later parchment copy.
Only a limited number of Dunlap broadsides survive today, making them important documentary artifacts. Their survival helps historians study the declaration’s original typography, wording, and early public circulation during the Revolutionary War.