Think you know the Declaration of Independence? These 25 facts will prove you wrong

From Thomas Jefferson’s hypocrisy to Hollywood myths, Sam Edwards presents 25 fascinating facts about the US’s founding text

A large 18th‑century assembly room where members of the Continental Congress gather as a small group of men present the Declaration of Independence at a central table. The figures wear period clothing, and red drapery and tall windows frame the formal setting.

Published: July 2, 2026 at 5:48 PM

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1. The ‘United Colonies’ declared independence from Great Britain on 2 July

Everyone knows that the 13 American colonies declared independence from Great Britain on 4 July, right? Well, not quite. It was actually on 2 July that the Continental Congress adopted the independence resolution authored by Virginian delegate Richard Henry Lee. This resolution stated: “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” As a result, one Founding Father – John Adams – thought that 2 July would likely become celebrated as a ‘Day of Deliverance’.

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2. The Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on 4 July

If American independence was technically declared on 2 July, the key document – the famous Declaration of Independence – was nonetheless signed on 4 July, right? Again, not quite. After declaring independence on 2 July, the Continental Congress then tasked several of its members with producing a document to explain their decision to the public. Work on this document – the famous Declaration – had actually been underway for several weeks and was first presented to Congress on 28 June. The final wording was adopted by Congress on 4 July, and it was the latter date which was then included on the printed version, known as the ‘Dunlap Broadside’ (after the man given the job of printing it, John Dunlap).

A group of three men in 18th‑century clothing sit and stand around a wooden table covered with papers, books, and a quill. They appear to be discussing or drafting an important document in a bright room with large windows.

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams review a draft of the Declaration in this 20th-century painting. Despite Independence Day being celebrated on 4 July, the significant document wasn’t actually signed on that date | Credit: Getty Images

3. 26 copies of the Dunlap Broadside still exist

Around 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were originally printed (over the night of 4-5 July) and of these, 26 are still known to exist. The vast majority – 23 – are to be found in the United States in the collections of museums, archives and universities. The other three are in the collections of the UK National Archives at Kew in London. Two of the latter were sent to London courtesy of the Howe Brothers, William and Richard. William was a general in the British Army and Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America from 1775 to 1778. His brother Richard was a vice-admiral in the Royal Navy and commander of British naval forces in North America.

4. Two Dunlap Broadsides were only discovered in the last 40 years

Two of the 26 Dunlap Broadsides are relatively recent discoveries. One was found by chance in 1989 behind an artwork in a picture frame, bought at a flea market for $4. It sold at auction in 1991 for $2.42 million, and was sold again, in 2000, for $8.14 million. Another – the 26th – was found as recently as 2009 in a collection of other materials in the UK National Archives.

5. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the first draft

The Declaration of Independence was drafted by a ‘Committee of Five’: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. But it was Jefferson who did much of the initial drafting, largely between 11 and 28 June. His draft, which drew heavily on the thinking of English philosopher John Locke, was revised by Adams and Franklin before being presented to Congress on 28 June. It was then further revised before being officially adopted on 4 July.

A painted portrait of Thomas Jefferson shows him from the shoulders up, wearing a dark coat and a high white collar. His face is softly lit against a plain background, highlighting his calm, composed expression.

A portrait of Thomas Jefferson, c1853. The third US president was responsible for much of the Declaration of Independence’s drafting | Credit: Getty Images

6. Jefferson’s hypocrisy was omitted

Not everything Jefferson originally wrote made it into the final version of the Declaration. In an early draft, for instance, Jefferson, a slaveholder, had blamed George III for slavery, going so far as to claim that the King “has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither”. The passage was not included in the version adopted by the Continental Congress on 4 July.

7. John Trumbull’s famous painting doesn’t depict the signing of the Declaration

The most famous artistic depiction of the events surrounding the Declaration of Independence is by John Trumbull. Titled, appropriately, The Declaration of Independence, the painting was first begun in 1786 but not completed until 1818. It was then bought by Congress and placed in the Capitol’s Rotunda in 1826. It is sometimes, mistakenly, assumed to depict the signing of the Declaration on 4 July 1776, but in actual fact it shows Jefferson and his fellow members of the Committee of Five presenting their draft to Congress on 28 June.

8. Most delegates signed on 2 August 1776

In total, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress, from across the 13 colonies, signed the Declaration of Independence. Most did so on 2 August 1776. However, six delegates signed later – Matthew Thornton, who petitioned to add his signature after he joined Congress in November, and five others who were absent from Congress on 2 August (with the last to sign generally considered to have been Thomas McKean of Delaware). The exact date McKean signed remains uncertain, but he probably put his name to the document sometime after January 1777 (and by 1781).

An ornate illustration displays the signatures from the Declaration of Independence, with John Hancock’s large, sweeping signature at the centre. Decorative figures, an eagle, and circular motifs frame the collection of names.

A section of the Declaration, showing many signatures from Continental Congress delegates. Most did this on 2 August 1776, with a few signing as late as 1777 | Credit: Alamy

9. 4 July didn’t become a national holiday until the 19th century

The first anniversary of Independence in 1777 almost passed without celebration – the Revolutionary War was well underway, and many Americans were understandably preoccupied. But there were some celebrations in Philadelphia, the home of the second Continental Congress. After the Revolution, 4 July observances often became very partisan due to the arguments between the two political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Fourth of July didn’t really become a more widely recognised celebration until the 19th century. The War of 1812 – which was fought between the United States and Great Britain – encouraged renewed interest in patriotic celebrations, and then after the Civil War, in 1870, Congress designated 4 July a federal holiday in the District of Columbia (albeit unpaid). It became a paid federal holiday in 1938.

10. Two signatories later died on 4 July

Of the 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence, two later died on a subsequent 4 July, both of natural causes: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. By pure coincidence, both died on the very same day – 4 July 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

11. It inspired the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments

The ideals articulated by the Declaration of Independence inspired many later campaigners and reformers, especially among those groups of Americans overlooked or ignored by the Founding Fathers. In 1848, for example, women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton drew on Jefferson’s words to criticise the “absolute tyranny” of men over women. At one point in the text – known as the ‘Declaration of Sentiments’ – Cady Stanton adapted the original text to make a powerful point: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal.”

A brick visitor‑centre building displays a large mural titled Declaration of Sentiments, featuring purple‑and‑yellow portraits of women’s rights activists and the phrase “all men and women are created equal.” A path with tulips and informational plaques runs in front of the building.

A mural celebrating the Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s ‘Declaration of Sentiments’ at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park building, Seneca Falls, New York. The text took great inspiration from the Declaration of Independence | Credit: Alamy

12. It inspired Frederick Douglass to write ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’

Nineteenth-century African American activists similarly invoked the Declaration of Independence to contest discrimination, and particularly the evil of slavery. In 1852, for instance, the African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass gave a speech to mark Independence Day in which he celebrated the Founding Fathers as “great men” while also criticising their hypocrisy. Douglass was speaking at a time when millions of African Americans were enslaved in the South and were therefore denied the “liberty” so celebrated by the Declaration. The title of Douglass’ speech left no doubt as to his point: ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?’

13. It inspired Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address

Many American presidents have drawn on the words of the Declaration to make sense of the challenges of the moment. Perhaps the most famous to do so was Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address of 1863. Delivered at the height of the US Civil War at a location “hallowed” by the heroic dead, Lincoln’s most famous speech began with a specific nod to the Declaration: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

14. The British didn’t respond well

According to the historian Howard Peckham, the “first reaction of press and public in Great Britain was contempt for the ideology of the Declaration expressed in its opening” with many commentators seeing it as a “rhetorical attempt to justify treason”. A second British response was outrage over what some perceived as American “ingratitude” for all that the British Empire had given the colonists, especially in terms of protection and prosperity. As a result, much early British commentary on the Declaration was highly critical, although it was welcomed by those sympathetic to the colonists’ cause.

A large historical painting shows a formal gathering of men in 18th‑century clothing inside an ornate hall. One man stands at a central table covered with documents, addressing the seated assembly beneath tall arched windows and chandeliers.

An 18th-century depiction of the House of Commons. Initial reactions to the Declaration in Britain were largely negative | Credit: Alamy

15. King George V celebrated 4 July by attending a baseball game

It took a good few decades before British views of the Declaration of Independence began to shift, but by the 20th century it was increasingly seen in a new light. By 1918, in fact, with the two nations now allies in the First World War and with tens of thousands of American soldiers in Britain, the 4 July anniversary became an occasion to celebrate the deep ties of history. This was the first time that the anniversary was formally marked in Britain itself, and it saw government buildings in London fly the Stars and Stripes flag. King George V even got in on the act, attending an exhibition baseball game in London between teams from the US Army and the US Navy!

16. A joint US-UK bombing raid marked 4 July 1942

The return of American troops to the country during the Second World War similarly encouraged Britons to embrace the annual 4 July celebrations, and there were more exhibitions of American sport (both baseball and football). The 1942 anniversary – the first following the United States’ entry into the war – was also marked in a rather different way: by a joint bombing operation undertaken by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and their counterparts in the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). It involved 12 aircraft in total – six British and six American – and targeted German airfields in the Netherlands.

A black‑and‑white photograph shows a twin‑engine military aircraft on the ground, with one person sitting near the tail and another standing by the nose. The plane has a camouflage finish and the number 458 on its fuselage, set against a cloudy sky and flat grassy terrain.

An American Douglas A-20 Havoc aircraft. On the first Independence Day after the US joined the Second World War, British and American forces took part in a joint bombing operation | Credit: Alamy

17. Ho Chi Minh quoted the Declaration in a bid for Vietnamese Independence

The evocative lines authored by the Committee of Five have provided inspiration for several subsequent revolutionary movements. Perhaps the most surprising imitator – given the later history of American involvement in his country – was Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese independence leader. Min’s ‘Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam’, issued on 2 September 1945 and directed towards France (the imperial power), began by quoting – almost verbatim – Jefferson’s most famous lines: “All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” At the time, Min was trying to win American support for Vietnamese Independence.

18. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr called the Declaration a ‘promissory note’

If Jefferson’s famous words have inspired various 20th-century revolutionaries, they have also continued to be invoked by campaigners in the United States itself. In 1963, for instance, Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a Dream’ speech – given from the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington – invoked the Declaration on behalf of the African American civil rights campaign. At one point, he specifically referred to the Constitution and the famous document of Declaration as a “promissory note to which every American was to fall heir”.

A black‑and‑white photograph shows Martin Luther King Jr. standing on a platform, raising one hand as he speaks to a vast crowd stretching toward the Washington Monument. Photographers stand behind him while thousands of people fill the Reflecting Pool area.

Martin Luther King Jr waves to crowds during the March on Washington, 1963. During his most famous speech, King invoked the Declaration in his fight for equal rights for all | Credit: Getty Images

19. The sacred document was kept at Fort Knox

Over the past 250 years the Declaration of Independence has come to assume such an important symbolic role in American politics and culture that the text itself has secured almost sacred significance. One consequence of this is that it is always carefully guarded, and in fact during the Second World War it was whisked away to Fort Knox for safekeeping.

20. The Declaration played a key role in the Cold War

After the Second World War, with the United States embroiled in a confrontation with the Soviet Union, the Declaration of Independence played a key role in the Cold War battle of ideas. Between 1947 and 1949, for instance, Jefferson’s original ‘Rough Draft’ of the Declaration was even included in the ‘Freedom Train’ which toured the United States to bring to the people the key documents of American democracy.

21. Planning for the bicentennial celebrations took 10 years

Major anniversaries of the Declaration have often drawn widespread public and political attention. The centennial in 1876, for instance, saw the city of Philadelphia host a huge international exhibition to mark the occasion. But even this was surpassed by the bicentennial events of 1976, the planning for which had begun a decade earlier. Among the nationwide events was another Freedom Train.

A black‑and‑white photograph shows a crowd lined up beside a train marked “American Freedom Train,” looking into large display windows. People in mid‑1970s clothing wait to view the historical exhibits inside the cars.

People queue to view the American Freedom Train in Archbold, Ohio. This was one of many celebrations for the bicentennial anniversary that took place throughout 1976 – such events were 10 years in the making | Credit: Alamy

22. Queen Elizabeth II thanked the Founding Fathers

British royalty has a complicated relationship with the United States. The wording of the Declaration of Independence specifically refers to the “repeated injuries and usurpations” inflicted on the American people by the “the present King of Great Britain”, and immediately after the public announcement of independence in New York, a large group of patriots tore down the statue of George III in Manhattan (on 9 July 1776). Even so, Americans have also long had a fascination with the monarchy. This was especially apparent in July 1976 when President Gerald Ford invited Queen Elizabeth II to attend the bicentennial commemorations. She was greeted by cheering crowds wherever she went, and her speech in Philadelphia was particularly well-received. In it, she offered her “sincere gratitude to the Founding Fathers of the great Republic for having taught Britain a very valuable lesson”.

23. There’s a link between the Declaration and Magna Carta

One of the key historical links made by the Queen during her 1976 visit to the United States was between the Declaration of Independence and another famous historical document, authenticated and sealed several centuries earlier by King John: Magna Carta. For the Queen in 1976 – as well as many other subsequent commentators, both American and British – the two documents are joined by principle and purpose. Notably, this connection, which implicitly celebrates the deep historical ties between the two countries, also featured in the speech recently given to Congress by the Queen’s son, King Charles III. An original copy of Magna Carta was also loaned to the US Congress by the British Parliament for the Bicentennial in 1976.

A medieval outdoor scene shows a royal figure under a red canopy signing a document on a raised platform, surrounded by guards with spears. A large crowd of soldiers stands in formation beneath the trees, with a single large tree casting shade in the foreground.

King John seals Magna Carta at Runnymede in this depiction from 1912. Queen Elizabeth II believed this important document and the Declaration were closely connected by principle and purpose| Credit: Getty Images

24. The Declaration has a hidden map*

*According to Hollywood

Given its historic significance, the Declaration has featured in a few films. For instance, the 1972 production, 1776 – which was based on a Broadway musical and was produced in the run-up to the bicentennial – explores some of the political machinations in and around the Lee Resolution on 2 July and the subsequent adoption of the Declaration itself on 4 July. It received largely mixed reviews. But the most famous cinematic ‘use’ of the document is surely the 2004 production, National Treasure. This plays fast and loose with history – the Declaration is said to have a map hidden on its reverse – but it rattled along at an entertaining pace and grossed millions at the box office.

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25. The Declaration will have a starring role in 2026

250 years since it was first announced, the Declaration of Independence continues to draw international attention. It will be at the very centre of this year’s commemorations in the United States, while over in the UK a rare and original ‘Dunlap Broadside’ will be displayed at the National Archives in Kew as part of their ‘Revolution 250’ exhibition. A rare parchment copy known as the ‘Sussex Declaration’ will also shortly go on display at the British Museum in London as part of its ‘Declaring Independence: USA 250’ exhibition.

Authors

Sam EdwardsHistorian

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