{"id":904237,"date":"2026-07-01T00:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/904237\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T00:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:28:24","slug":"america-250-see-a-rare-handwritten-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-at-the-new-york-public-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/904237\/","title":{"rendered":"America 250: See a rare, handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence at the New York Public Library"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Public Library<\/a> is getting in on the city\u2019s massive celebration for the nation\u2019s 250th birthday.<\/a> Beginning Wednesday through July 7, visitors can see a rare, handwritten copy of an earlier version of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\n

The copy includes a lengthy passage condemning the transatlantic slave trade, which was removed to appease delegates from Georgia and South Carolina during the Continental Congress before the final version of July 4, 1776, was approved 250 years ago.<\/p>\n

Preserved in the Library\u2019s collections since 1896, the manuscript is one of only a handful of surviving \u201cfair copies\u201d penned by Jefferson. Frustrated after the changed version was ratified, Jefferson drafted these copies for a handful of friends to memorialize his earlier work.<\/p>\n

The display serves as the centerpiece of the Library\u2019s system-wide initiative, \u201c250 Years: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness<\/a>,\u201d which NYPL launched in June. The exhibition explores the country\u2019s founding, its democratic ideals, and how those ideals have evolved over the past two and a half centuries.<\/p>\n

When Declaring America opened, Anthony W. Marx, president and CEO of The New York Public Library, said that the library exemplified the country\u2019s democratic ideals and would educate New Yorkers for generations to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, The New York Public Library is opening its archives and displaying some of our nation\u2019s rarest and most remarkable treasures,\u201d Marx said. \u201cThe Library stands as an enduring place for democratic access and life-long learning. Please join us in learning about our nation\u2019s past, reflecting on our present, and contemplating our future as we mark the nation\u2019s 250th Day of Independence together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Library will host a full day of public programming on July 1 at its flagship Fifth Avenue location.\n<\/p>\n

Activities on the plaza outside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building will include children\u2019s storytimes, voter registration opportunities, and a specialty printing press where visitors can produce and sign their own copies of the Declaration of Independence. <\/p>\n

The July 1 festivities will conclude with an evening concert and a large-scale projection of Jefferson\u2019s handwritten manuscript onto the building\u2019s facade.<\/p>\n

Additional features include a limited-edition library card inspired by the Declaration manuscript, a curated reading list featuring 250 books exploring the American experience, and free digital access to select titles through July 31. <\/p>\n

The Library is also showcasing a first-edition printing of the sheet music for \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d at its Library for the Performing Arts through Aug. 31, while a Liberty Lager<\/a> inspired by George Washington\u2019s 1757 small beer recipe is available at participating bars and restaurants throughout New York City thanks to a collaboration with Talea Beer Co.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit nypl.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Public Library is getting in on the city\u2019s massive celebration for the nation\u2019s 250th birthday.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":904238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,348549,17539,28574,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,366005,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-904237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-america-250-events","tag-declaration-of-independence","tag-july-4","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nypl","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116841893503487814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/904238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}