The Declaration of Independence

Edition

Transcription by the National Archives of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence, the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum, whose “spelling and punctuation reflect the original.” The heading “In Congress, July 4, 1776” is the kicker of the poster, and the title that opens the first paragraph, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,” is the title of the poster, without its comma. The rest follows the transcription word for word, with its three double hyphens (--) kept as they are; the grievances are set apart, as in the indented block of the transcription. The 56 signers are grouped by state in the four columns and in the order of the transcription, where Massachusetts and New Hampshire each head two groups.

Rights

Adopted by the Continental Congress on 4 July 1776 and published the same year. In the United States, it was published before 1931, and the transcription is a work of the National Archives, a federal agency (17 U.S.C. 105). In France, it is an official act of a public authority, and its authors, delegates of 1776, all died long before 1 January 1956 (Thomas Jefferson, who drafted it, on 4 July 1826).

The National Archives state: “Works of the U.S. Government that have been produced by the National Archives and Records Administration are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed without permission.” (https://www.archives.gov/global-pages/privacy.html)