The Declaration of Independence was first read publicly on July 8, 1776, a milestone recalled by America250.
The first public readings took place at noon in three locations: Philadelphia, Trenton in New Jersey, and Easton in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, the reading occurred in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. John Nixon is generally identified as the reader there.
The public readings followed Congress’s approval of the Declaration on July 4. A printed broadside was produced by John Dunlap, and the document began circulating through the colonies. The first newspaper publication appeared in The Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, helping spread the news before the formal public readings.
This date is often mixed up with other important moments. July 4 marks congressional approval of the final text, while most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2. The Liberty Bell is also linked by tradition to July 8, because bells in Philadelphia rang around the public reading, although there is no contemporary proof that the Liberty Bell itself was definitely rung.