Home Economy Government State Archives to exhibit copies for Declaration of Independence on July 4

State Archives to exhibit copies for Declaration of Independence on July 4

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PBN Staff

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07/01/2025

Lens Position: -235055235 — THE R.I. STATE Archives is celebrating Independence Day with a public viewing of the state’s three copies of the Declaration of Independence. Pictured is the Goddard Printing from 1777. /COURTESY R.I. STATE ARCHIVES

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. State Archives is celebrating the Fourth of July with a public viewing of the state’s three copies of the Declaration of Independence. R.I. Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore announced Monday the State Archives on Broad Street will open from 9 a.m. to noon on July 4 displaying the three versions

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PROVIDENCE – The R.I. State Archives is celebrating the Fourth of July with a public viewing of the state’s three copies of the Declaration of Independence. R.I. Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore announced Monday the State Archives on Broad Street will open from 9 a.m. to noon on July 4 displaying the three versions of the historic document: the Southwick Printing from 1776, the Goddard Printing from 1777, and the Stone Printing engravings from 1823. In addition, a new banner exhibit telling the story of each of Rhode Island's three copies can be viewed in the windows of the State Archives from Broad Street. This exhibit will remain on display through July. "The State Archives are the keepers of three beautifully preserved pieces of American history – Rhode Island's copies of the Declaration of Independence," Amore said. "I hope Rhode Islanders and visitors alike will take advantage of this opportunity to see our history up close." Rhode Island's three copies of the Declaration of Independence each served a vital purpose in our nation’s history, according to the State Archives. In 1776, Solomon Southwick, printer of the Newport Mercury, printed the first copies of the Broadside in Rhode Island, one for each Rhode Island town. In 1777, Congress ordered an official copy sent to the General Assembly. Printed by Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore, this printing was the first to feature the names of the signers and was signed as a "True Copy" by John Hancock. The William J. Stone engravings of the Declaration of Independence were ordered by the U.S. Department of State and through a joint resolution of Congress due to the fading state of the original document. About 200 printings were authorized for distribution among surviving signers, government officials and departments, institutions of higher learning and other similar groups. The Fourth of July exhibit will also feature Rhode Island’s copy of "Brave Men as Ever Fought," a portrait commemorating the First Rhode Island Regiment. In 1778, Rhode Island reorganized its regiments of the Continental Army and authorized the recruitment of enslaved men into the First Rhode Island Regiment. More than 130 free Black men and formerly enslaved men joined the regiment that year. The enslaved men were granted their freedom immediately upon their enlistment, the first and only time such an offer had been made by a state government during the Revolutionary War. The original portrait, on loan to the R.I. Department of State from the Museum of the American Revolution, was originally displayed in the Statehouse from March to June of this year.