The Declaration of Independence

In 1776, delegates of the 13 colonies, now known as the “founding fathers,” drafted the Declaration of Independence, a document announcing separation from British colonial rule and initiating the American Revolution.

Several decades later, the roots of nationhood had taken hold as the country rebuffed the British army for a second time in the War of 1812, and the young republic’s story was recorded in literature and art. The period is often referred to, if misleadingly, as the “era of good feelings,” for its relative political stability, geographical expansionism, and national pride. Despite this, however, slavery continued and the U.S. maintained brutal policies of forced removal and genocide of Indigenous peoples.

During this time, printed versions of the Declaration of Independence, three early copies of which are included here, were key in disseminating and reinforcing the founding ideals of the country. In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned William Stone to engrave an official replica of the document. Two hundred copies of the “Stone Declaration” were printed and distributed to government repositories, significant officeholders, and the few surviving signers of the Declaration.

After 250 years, the Declaration’s radical vision continues to resonate, even if its claims of liberty and equality remain unfulfilled. Presented alongside exhibitions that critically examine the complexities and contradictions of the American past, these documents offer an opportunity for renewed scrutiny. Understood in this broader context, they reveal the United States as an aspirational yet unfinished democratic experiment, one whose founding ideals remain as urgent as ever.

Learn more about the history of the Declaration of Independence here.

Read a more legible version of the Declaration here.

Both guided and self-guided groups wishing to visit the Declaration of Independence copies must submit a reservation inquiry online.

To schedule a social event that includes a tour or viewing of the Declaration of Independence, please submit an event inquiry, and add a tour request on the notes.

The Declaration of Independence is organized in collaboration with Duke Arts and the Nasher Museum of Art and is part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative that marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a series of public events examining the nation’s evolving identity. Three historic copies of the Declaration of Independence are on loan from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection. Leadership support for We the People has been generously provided by David M. Rubenstein.