Broadside of the Declaration of Independence

On July 9, 1776, the New York Provincial Congress affirmed its support for the Declaration of Independence, becoming the 13th and final colony to approve the measure. Shortly thereafter, John Holt received authorization to print 500 copies of the document, to be sent to government officials throughout the newly formed state of New York.

Printing the Declaration would be one of Holt’s last professional undertakings before fleeing British-controlled New York City. He spent the remainder of the American Revolution in Poughkeepsie, returning to Manhattan only at the war’s end. Today, just five copies of Holt’s broadside are known to survive, making it one of the rarest editions of the most famous examples of American political writing.