In June 1776, a committee of five was appointed by the Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Following the passage of the Lee Resolution on July 2, a resolution proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia that the Thirteen Colonies declare independence from the British Empire, the Declaration of Independence was submitted to the Continental Congress. Revisions took two days.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Copies of the Declaration were printed for distribution to governing bodies in each colony and to the officers of the Continental Army. The Declaration was engrossed, or written in large handwriting, and delegates signed the engrossed copy on August 2, 1776, beginning with John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress. Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, and, later, Matthew Thornton signed the Declaration of Independence representing New Hampshire.
This commemorative tin replica of the Declaration of Independence was “Distributed in the interest of Good Government” by the Nashua Trust Company in 1940. The border includes references to the American Revolution, including the Minutemen, the Betsy Ross Flag, the Liberty Bell, the Continental Army, the Boston Tea Party, and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Two holes along the top edge indicate that it was meant to hang on display.
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