Where in Philadelphia was the Declaration of Independence first publicly read on July 8, 1776?

The Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Philadelphia in the State House Yard on July 8, 1776.

John Nixon delivered the reading at noon in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. The reading followed Congress’s approval of the Declaration on July 4 and the printing of copies by John Dunlap.

The Philadelphia reading was not the only first public reading that day. Formal readings also took place at noon in Trenton, New Jersey, and Easton, Pennsylvania. This is why references to the first public reading can sometimes appear to name more than one location.

The State House Yard was an open public space beside the colonial legislature’s building. The Declaration quickly circulated in printed broadsides and newspapers, allowing its message to reach communities throughout the Thirteen Colonies.