The Declaration of Independence July 4, 2009

One of The New York Public Library's greatest treasures, a full-text version of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson will be on view at The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Gallery. In the days immediately following ratification on July 4, 1776, Jefferson made several copies of the text that had been submitted to the Continental Congress, underlining the passages to which changes had been made. The Library's copy is one of two known to survive intact. It is shown together with the first Philadelphia printing and the first New York printing of the final version issued by Congress. These versions are complemented by the earliest newspaper printings.