How the Declaration of Independence spread across the American colonies and Europe, as told in historian Emily Sneff's new book.

July 12, 1776: the sun was shining and Ambrose Serle was beaming as the largest expeditionary force the world had ever seen – 450 ships and 32,000 men – assembled off New York to crush American indepe...

ALT: Jack Black Salutes as Dewey Finn

In May 2026, a volunteer working on a cataloguing project at The National Archives made an astonishing discovery.

Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community

Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community

The Continental Congress voted to break from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, and approved the text of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, but it took weeks fo…

Robert G. Parkinson wrote Tyrants and Rogues. These are their favorite books on the declaration of independence.

Emily Sneff, author of When the Declaration of Independence was News, joins us to explore how people actually learned about the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Broadside printing of the document commenced hours after it was approved. Copies were read aloud in town squares.

Call for Proposals Submission deadline: Jan 9, 2026; Conference Oct 2-3, 2026

Join Dr. Emily Sneff to learn the history of the Declaration of Independence before the 250th anniversary in 2026

ALT: a little girl is laughing with her fist in the air while wearing a vest and tie .

Because as our country celebrates its independence, Philadelphia stands as a living reminder that true freedom means every voice — including ours — belongs in the American story.