‘Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond’

By Alan Singer 

As part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the New York Public Library has created a display of 250 sources from its archives for public viewing. Not only do they focus on Revolutionary New York, but they include documents on struggles for freedom stretching to today. The library’s main building is on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. The library will be closed for Juneteenth on Friday June 19.

The exhibit includes George Washington’s personal beer recipe, historical battle maps, letters between the nation’s founders, a broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence printed in New York City on July 9, 1776, the day the New York colony joined the rebellion. More recent material is an 1834 anti-slavery banner, a 1963 “Civil Rights Now!” pennant, and posters by HIV/AIDS activists.

For a brief period, July 1-7, a limited number of people can view Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence. You must sign up in advance online on Monday June 22 at 10 a.m.

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Source: New York Almanac

Image source: Giphy.com

Alan Singer is the director of Secondary Education Social Studies Teaching Learning Technology at Hofstra University and the author of Class-Conscious Coal Miners. Blogs, tweets, essays, and interviews present his views and not those of the university.