Declaration of Independence 1776−1825 Courtesy: Rare Book and Special Collection Division, The Library of Congress. The author viewing a Dunlap broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence. The Library of Congress, 1983. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ____________________________________________________ A Checklist of Books, Pamphlets, and Periodicals, Printing the U.S. Declaration of Independence, 1776-1825. With an appendix checklist of American newspapers printing the Declaration of Independence. ____________________________________________________ Stephen M. Matyas, Jr. Haymarket, Virginia / Stephen M. Matyas, Jr. 2009 Copyright © 2009 by Stephen M. Matyas Jr. All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Control Number: 2009903971 ISBN 978-0-615-29313-4 Printed in the United States of America By Thomson-Shore, Inc., Dexter, Michigan Contents Forward vii Acknowledgements ix Preface xi Introduction xxiii Key to reference names and symbols xxxv Key to source symbols xxxix References cited xlv Checklist of books, pamphlets and periodicals, printing the U.S. Declaration of Independence 1776−1825 3 Checklist of American newspapers printing the Declaration of Independence 1776−1825 641 Author Index 669 Title Index 673 General Index 681 Forward The Declaration of Independence — the cornerstone of American independence and liberty — ranks only second to the Constitution of the United States. It is “the USA’s most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson’s most enduring monument.”— National Archives. The Congress authorized the Declaration to be printed as a broadside and proclaimed that it should be read to the people throughout the former colonies. In July, 1776, it was printed in 29 newspapers in this country alone. Thereafter, the Fourth of July was celebrated throughout the land by reading the Declaration aloud to assembled crowds. Even the almanac, which was common in every household, was changed to read “in the first (second, third, etc.) year of independence.” The checklist, which details the many and varied places where this important document was printed, serves to reinforce and amplify the spirited ideals of individual liberty embodied therein. Yet, many readers may be unaware of just how pervasive the Declaration was eventually woven into the fabric of our society in the fifty years following its first publication. The Declaration, with its own unique message, was printed as a singular document in many different works. It was also printed together with the Constitution of the United States, as well as other important state documents — George Washington’s Farewell Address, the Articles of Confederation, or one or more of the individual state constitutions. In fact, the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington’s farewell address are found together often enough to be referred to as the triumvirate of American documents. These three became the most important American documents of the nineteenth century. The author 2009 vii www.USDeclarationOfIndependence.com Acknowledgements Grateful acknowledgement is made to the late Mr. Egon Weiss, formerly Library Director, United States Military Academy Library, West Point. In the early 1980s, Mr. Weiss granted the author liberal access to the library, and to the library’s Readex Microprint collections: Early American Imprints: First Series (Evans) 1639-1800, and Second Series (Shaw-Shoemaker) 1801-1819, now superceded by microfiche and online digital collections. Without access to these early collections, the checklist could not have been compiled. The author is particularly indebted to Mr. James Gilreath, American History Specialist, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress, now retired, who provided his encouragement, guidance, and assistance throughout the course of the investigation. Mr. Gilreath single-handedly searched many of the library’s rare books for the Declaration of Independence, subsequently providing the author with photocopies of useful, selected pages from these works. Several entries in the checklist can be attributed to Mr. Gilreath’s efforts. The author extends his thanks to Mrs. Shirley Maul, Vassar College Library, now retired, for granting the author special research status and permission to use the library’s facilities, greatly aiding the author in the compilation of the checklist. The author wishes to thank Mr. Joseph Felcone, who offered his encouragement, suggestions, and expert opinions throughout the compilation of the checklist. The author also wishes to thank the many library, archive, university staff members, and others in the book trade, who provided needed information and assistance during the compilation of the checklist. Of these, the author especially wishes to recognize the efforts of: Dr. David Vander Meulen, Professor of Bibliography and Textual Criticism, University of Virginia; Mr. James N. Green, Librarian, The Library Company of Philadelphia; Mr. Daniel De Simone, Curator, Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, Rare Book and Special Collection Division, The Library of Congress; Ms. Rosemary Plakas, American History Specialist, Rare Book and Special ix www.USDeclarationOfIndependence.com Acknowledgements Collection Division, The Library of Congress; Ms. Linda August, Reference Librarian, The Library Company of Philadelphia; Mr. Vincent Golden, Curator of Newspapers and Periodicals, American Antiquarian Society; Mr. Thomas Knoles, Head Librarian, American Antiquarian Society; Ms. Lauren Hewes, Assistant Curator of Graphic Arts, American Antiquarian Society; Mr. Alan H. Jutzi, Chief Curator of Rare Books, Huntington Library; Ms. Oksana Linda, Assistant Curator and Rare Book Cataloger, William L. Clements Library; Dr. Patrick Scott, Director of Rare Books and Special Collections for the University Libraries, University of South Carolina; Mr. Jonathan Armstrong, Librarian, Dublin Honourable Society of King’s Inn; Ms. Kathryn Norris, Librarian, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland; Ms. Marcia Caudell, Reference Librarian, Indiana State Library; Ms. Mary Person, Rare Book Cataloger, Harvard Law School Library; Mr. Stephen Ferguson, Curator of Rare Books, Princeton University Library; Ms. Anne Marie Lane, Faculty Curator of Rare Books, Toppan Rare Books Library, University of Wyoming; Mr. Timothy Hughes, Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers, Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Mr. Guy Heilenman, Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers, Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Ms. Cara Gilgenbach, Head Special Collections and Archives, Kent State University Libraries; Ms. Christine M. Beauregard, Senior Librarian, Manuscripts & Special Collections, New York State Library; Ms. Gayle Cooper, Special Collections Cataloger, The Albert & Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Ms. Amy Kimball, Assistant Curator of Rare Books, Johns Hopkins University; Mr. Nick Aretakis, Americana Department, William Reese Company, New Haven, Connecticut; Mr. Allan Stypeck, Second Story Books, Rockville, Maryland; and Mr. Charles E. Tuttle, Tuttle Antiquarian Books, Rutland, Vermont. The author is also indebted to his wife, Sandra Lea Matyas, who assisted by visiting several libraries and collecting information used in the preparation of checklist entries. x www.USDeclarationOfIndependence.com Preface This work brings together for the first time a checklist of 358 books, pamphlets, and periodicals (1776-1825) that print the full text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in English. The checklist is comprised primarily of American and British works. Works reprinting only portions of the Declaration or printing the Declaration in languages other than English are omitted. A list of American newspapers printing of the Declaration (1776-1825) is provided in an appendix. Broadside printings of the Declaration are not included. A list of 19 contemporary broadside printings of the Declaration can be found in Michael Walsh’s Contemporary Broadside Editions of the Declaration of Independence. The frontispiece is a photograph of the author viewing an original Dunlap broadside printing of the Declaration, one of two copies owned by The Library of Congress. There are twenty-five surviving copies of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence done by printer John Dunlap at Philadelphia on the night of July 4th, 1776. For practical purposes, first printings of the Declaration are unattainable. However, the Declaration was afterwards reprinted a number of times, and many of these works can be accessed. The checklist provides the means for doing so. Each checklist entry is a bibliographic “snap-shot” of the work it cites. Each entry consists of a title, collation, pagination, description of contents, references, sources, and notes. Together, the checklist entries provide a source of information that can be used beneficially. More than 100,000 books, pamphlets, and periodicals were published during the period, 1776-1825. A mere 358 reprint the text of the Declaration; two thirds of these do not mention the Declaration in their titles, thus making the checklist the vital link, or key, so-to-speak, permitting these works to be accessed. Each such work, is a primary information source, important in its own right, but doubly important because it reprints the Declaration. Together, the works trace a history of the Declaration, heretofore not possible to be studied in such depth and detail. No scholar or student of history should be without this important checklist. The checklist entries may xi www.USDeclarationOfIndependence.com