Upon the approval of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 the document was rushed to the Philadephia print shop of John Dunlap. He quickly set the type and printed about 200″broadsides” (a page about the size of a full sheet of newsprint).

In December 2002 I was fortunate to get to see one of these  broadsides which is considered an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Only a handful survive and this one was touring the United States. Visitors were given a copy of the document printed on very nice card stock (pictured above).

As I looked at the heavily guarded page I had to think of the hands that held that paper that day, the eyes that read the words, and wondered what did it mean to that person to be declaring independence.