Washington’s Declaration
Both of George Washington’s broadsides tell the same story—one of communication and inspiration
George Washington did not sign the Declaration of Independence. He did sign the United States Constitution a decade later. But in the summer of 1776, Washington was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He visited the Continental Congress in Philadelphia from late May through early June, but otherwise, he was in New York City, at the head of the army. Still, because Washington won the war for independence and became the first President of the United States, he became associated with the Declaration, as a variety of 19th-century engravings make clear.
August Hageboeck, Lithograph of the Declaration of Independence, ca. 1865, Library of Congress
The Library of Congress claims to have George Washington’s copy of the Declaration of Independence. So too does the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia. But these claims are not competing—they reflect how the Continental Congress used Washington to get the news of independence to the men who were fighting for it.
On July 6, 1776, John Hancock wrote a letter to George Washington. He began by explaining that, “the Congress, for some Time past, have had their Attention occupied by one of the most interesting and important Subjects, that could possibly come before them, or any other Assembly of Men”—the subject of independence from Great Britain. Hancock’s letter offers an important reminder that the delegates to the Continental Congress did not know what the future would hold, but they hoped for the best:
“Impressed with this Sentiment, and at the same Time fully convinced, that our Affairs may take a more favourable Turn, the Congress have judged it necessary to dissolve the Connection between Great Britain and the American Colonies, and to declare them free & independent States…”
Hancock enclosed the Declaration of Independence and requested Washington to “have it proclaimed at the Head of the Army” in whatever manner he thought best. But Washington did not receive one single copy of the Declaration of Independence. Rather, he must have received a whole stack of Dunlap broadsides, which would have been handed off to Adjutant General Joseph Reed for distribution. Washington forwarded some of the broadsides on to the other divisions of the army, while Reed gave them out to the brigades in New York.
On Tuesday, July 9, at six o’clock in the evening, the Continental Army in Manhattan assembled in parade formation to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud. Sometimes, this event is remembered as Washington reading the Declaration. But it would have been impossible for a single voice—even Washington’s—to carry to the ears of thousands of soldiers. Instead, one man stepped to the front of each brigade, Dunlap broadside in hand, to read the Declaration. The soldiers responded with huzzahs.
The next day, Washington wrote back to Hancock to let him and the Continental Congress know that he had followed their directions. He was pleased to inform them that the soldiers had given “their most hearty assent” to the Declaration, and that the “expressions and behavior both of Officers and men” demonstrated their “warmest approbation of It.”
After the reading and disseminating of the Declaration was complete, it seems as though a few Dunlap broadsides remained among Washington’s papers. The broadside in the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress is missing the bottom third of the document. Perhaps it was folded up, and the fold lines eventually gave way.
John Dunlap, Broadside of the Declaration of Independence, July 4–5, 1776, Library of Congress
The broadside at the University of Virginia is complete and just as readable as it would have been on July 9, 1776. It is thought to have been in Washington’s hands because it descended through the papers of his longtime post-war secretary, Tobias Lear.
John Dunlap, Broadside of the Declaration of Independence, July 4–5, 1776, UVA Library
Both of George Washington’s broadsides tell the same story—one of communication and inspiration. In the general orders issued on July 9, Washington offered his hope that “this important Event,” the Declaration of Independence, would “serve as a fresh incentive to every officer, and soldier, to act with Fidelity and Courage.” Washington believed that the Declaration would give every soldier clarity—“the peace and safety of his Country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms.”
Where to See It In Person and Online: Library of Congress, University of Virginia
