Book Displays: July 4th ~ Independence Day

The Goddard Broadside is significant for the names it bears. And one of those names is Mary Katherine Goddard. When printing the Declaration, she included her full name. Perhaps Goddard was trying to secure her place in the story of the nation's founding.
Congress knew printing this copy was a significant step. So did Goddard. Yet this version of the Declaration of Independence is not very well known to modern Americans. This copy of the Declaration of Independence offers an opportunity to reflect on key themes in revolutionary history: the creation of the Declaration of Independence; the role of women in the American Revolution; and how we choose to remember the Declaration in the twenty-first century.

During our country’s infancy, Congress ordered two official printings of the Declaration of Independence. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was authorized to be printed by John Dunlap of Philadelphia. The design of the Dunlap printing resembles the written document, with each line running across the page in a single column length. On January 18, 1777, Congress convened in Baltimore and ordered the second printing by Mary Katharine Goddard. This edition is outstanding as the only Declaration titled The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, having been printed after New York had finally cast its vote to form the thirteenth state, and as the very first printing to publicly reveal the names of all the members of the Second Continental Congress. Also unique about this Declaration is the Printress, a highly respected press woman, whose fresh design in two-columns set it apart. Most people are not aware of this important historic printing by Mary Katharine Goddard.