Who printed the first published copy of the Declaration of Independence with her full name?

Mary Katharine Goddard printed the first published copy of the Declaration of Independence with her full name.

Goddard was the postmaster of Baltimore and publisher of the Maryland Journal. In January 1777, the Continental Congress asked her to print copies of the Declaration that included the names of the delegates who had signed the engrossed document.

Her broadside is significant because it was the first widely distributed printed version to list the signers. At the bottom, she included the line “Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katharine Goddard,” using her complete name rather than initials or a husband’s name.

Goddard’s work was part of the practical infrastructure of the Revolution. She printed political documents, newspapers, and government materials while operating a major colonial printing business. The episode also distinguishes her from Betsy Ross, who is associated with a later flag-making tradition rather than printing the Declaration.