Did you Know?

The Declaration of Independence

Once written, Congress sent the Declaration of Independence to a printer by the name of John Dunlop to make about 200 official copies. Today about 26 are known to remain.

In 1989 in PA an old picture was bought for about $4. The new owner found one of the original Dunlop copies of the Declaration tucked away inside the frame. They sold it for….  $8,100,000.

Remember the movie “National Treasure” with Nicholas Cage. Well there really is a message on the back of the Declaration of Independence. It reads:  “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” Sorry, no treasure clues…. that we know of.

Actress Reese Witherspoon is an actual descendant of one of the original 56 signers of the Declaration, John Witherspoon.

Eight of the 56 signers were from Britain.

Both Thomas Jefferson & John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the Declarations 50th Anniversary.

The two youngest signers of the Declaration were Thomas Lynch, Jr. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina. They were both 26 years old. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer at 70.