One of 26 surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence is now on display at the Lilly Library on Indiana University’s campus. It commemorates the 250th anniversary of the printing of the document.
“The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment” is a new exhibition featuring artifacts from the 1770s when the colonies were fighting for independence from Great Britain.
The copy of the Declaration on display was printed on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. The document is known as the Dunlap Broadside; the text is printed on only one side, and it was produced in John Dunlap’s shop. The copy is signed by President of the Continental Congress John Hancock, Secretary to the Congress Charles Thomson and Printer John Dunlap.
Erika Dowell, curator of the exhibit, said half of the presentation provides insight into the motives and historical events that pushed the colonists to pursue independence. The other half shows how the Declaration was distributed and how people felt during that time.
Artifacts on display include a piece of paper currency printed in 1775 that was worth $5, texts from Thomas Paine, John Locke and Adam Smith and letters from Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. All are originals.
Dowell’s favorite piece is a letter from James Smith, a member of the Continental Congress, to his wife about how he was having a bad day because he lost his hat and his cane and couldn’t find his money. It was written on Aug. 15, 1776.
“That's just a really amazing glimpse into the life of somebody who's picked from up their normal life, gone to Philadelphia to serve with a group of people who are attempting something that hadn't been done before, breaking away from the British Empire,” she said. “This was a new and very dangerous thing. And I think that's just a really lovely expression of maybe a little bit of what it was like. You know, no wonder he was a little bit, maybe inattentive to his personal possessions. You know, there are a lot of things to be preoccupied with when you're coming together to declare independence.”
Dowell said the exhibit aims to give people a more nuanced understanding of this significant point in history and provides a look into how people used to think at that point in time. The library is partnering with the Eskenazi Museum of Art and the IU Auditorium to offer tours for students in grades 3 through 12.
“It can be a really meaningful way to understand the complexities of history and to make both the connections to the ways that people of the past were like us, and also to identify the ways that people in the past were very different from us,” she said.
The copy of the Declaration was part of a gift from book collector Josiah K. Lilly, Jr. The exhibition will be open until at least through the end of July. IU has planned other events throughout the semester to celebrate the anniversary.
