Exploring the Exciting Trivia of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

The document was written by Thomas Jefferson.

It was signed by 56 delegates of the Continental Congress.

The original draft of the Declaration was lost and only the signed copies remain.

The document was inspired by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke.

The Declaration was written to officially declare the colonies’ independence from Great Britain.

It contains the famous phrase Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, is where the Declaration was signed.

The document was sent to England as a way to explain the colonists’ grievances.

The large signatures on the Declaration were meant to show unity and commitment.

The first public reading of the Declaration took place on July 8, 1776.

The Declaration has been translated into multiple languages.

There are only 26 known copies of the original Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration has inspired other countries’ declarations of independence.

The signing of the Declaration is depicted in the famous painting by John Trumbull.

The document was initially met with mixed reactions from colonists.

The document was not immediately celebrated as a national holiday.

The only two signers of the Declaration to later become U.S. presidents were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Exploring the Exciting Trivia of the Declaration of Independence part 2

The Declaration was not signed by George Washington, as he was leading the Continental Army at the time.

The Declaration was not officially embraced by all thirteen colonies until the end of the Revolutionary War.

The first printed versions of the Declaration contained a typo, referring to the pursuit of property instead of the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration served as a model for other revolutionary movements around the world.

Only two people signed the Declaration on the actual Fourth of July: John Hancock and Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson.

A little-known signer of the Declaration, Elbridge Gerry, also has the distinction of giving his name to the term gerrymandering.

The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to publish the Declaration.

The oldest known copy of the Declaration of Independence was found in a Scottish attic in 2009.

The youngest signer of the Declaration was Edward Rutledge, who was only 26 years old at the time.

The reason we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th is because that is the date on the document, even though it was not actually signed until August 2, 1776.

The document was originally called the Lee Resolution after Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, who proposed the resolution for independence.

The original Declaration is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

The document was not widely distributed until January 1777.

The Declaration was one of the three major founding documents of the United States, along with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Declaration was heavily influenced by the ideas of natural rights and social contract theory.

The oldest signer of the Declaration was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old at the time.

The Declaration contains a list of 27 specific grievances against King George III.

The Declaration has been a symbol of American freedom and democracy for over two centuries.

The Declaration was signed by several future vice presidents, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr.

The last living signer of the Declaration was Charles Carroll, who died at the age of 95 in 18

The document has undergone several preservation efforts, including a special treatment in 1952 to remove ink corrosion.

The text of the Declaration was based on a series of resolutions adopted by the colonies between 1774 and 1776.

The Declaration was written in just 17 days.

Richard Stockton, one of the signers, was captured by British forces and imprisoned during the war.

The phrase all men are created equal in the Declaration has been interpreted as excluding women and enslaved people.

The first public commemoration of the Declaration was in Philadelphia in 1777.

The Declaration of Independence is considered one of the most important documents in American history.