John Dunlap produced the first published copies of the United States Declaration of Independence. On the night of July 4, 1776, Congress had Dunlap print broadside copies for distribution.
These sheets are known as the Dunlap broadsides. The exact original number is uncertain, but historians estimate that about 200 were printed. Dunlap, an Irish immigrant and Philadelphia printer, reportedly worked through the night setting type, correcting the text, and running the sheets from the press.
The broadsides were not the same as the later parchment document usually pictured today. They were printed public notices designed to spread the announcement quickly. Copies went to colonial governments, military leaders, and other recipients, helping communicate Congress’s action throughout the colonies.
Another common mix-up involves the later engrossed copy. Timothy Matlack is generally associated with handwriting that parchment version, while Dunlap printed the first broadside editions. The National Archives displays the engrossed copy, not an original Dunlap broadside as the primary iconic document.