Digital Collections

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of primary source materials associated with the Declaration of Independence, including government documents, manuscripts, letters, and broadsides.

Highlights include Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Dunlap Broadside, and the first printed copy of the Declaration of Independence with the names of the signers.

Provided below is a link to the home page for each relevant digital collection along with selected highlights.

Continental Congress

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774 to 1875
This collection contains congressional publications from 1774 to 1875, including debates, bills, laws, and journals.

Journals of the Continental Congress

The text of the Declaration of Independence appears in the Journals of the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Additional references to the Declaration of Independence can be found in the Journals on the following dates in 1776:

June 7, 1776
Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution urging Congress to declare independence from Great Britain.
June 11, 1776
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to a committee to draft a declaration of independence.
June 28, 1776
A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence was read in Congress.
July 1-4, 1776
Congress debated and revised the Declaration of Independence.
July 2, 1776
Congress declared independence by adopting the Lee Resolution.
July 4, 1776
Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
July 4, 1776
Congress ordered that the Declaration of Independence be printed (Dunlap Broadsides).
July 19, 1776
Congress ordered the Declaration of Independence engrossed (officially inscribed) and signed by members.
August 2, 1776
The engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence was signed by most of the delegates. Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton all signed on a later date.

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789
This collection contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.

Selected highlight from this collection:

In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.
In 1777, Mary Katherine Goddard printed the first official copy of the Declaration of Independence with the names of the signers attached.

George Washington Papers

George Washington Papers
The complete George Washington Papers collection from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 65,000 documents.

Selected highlights from this collection:

Continental Congress, July 4, 1776, Printed Declaration of Independence.
Enclosure, John Hancock to George Washington concerning the reading of the Declaration of Independence to the Revolutionary army, 4 July 1776.
George Washington, July 9, 1776, General Orders.
Washington announced the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Army in New York.

James Madison Papers

James Madison Papers, 1723 to 1859
James Madison (1751-1836) is one of 23 presidents whose papers are held in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The Madison Papers consist of approximately 12,000 items.

Selected highlight from this collection:

James Madison, June 7, 1776. John C. Payne's copy of Thomas Jefferson notes on debates of the Continental Congress.
These notes include Jefferson's copy of the Declaration of Independence as amended by Congress.

Printed Ephemera

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history.

Selected highlights from this collection:

Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606 to 1827
The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 27,000 documents.

Selected highlights from this collection:

Search this collection to find additional papers related to the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence: Primary Documents in American History

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian

Digital Collections

Continental Congress

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention

George Washington Papers

James Madison Papers

Printed Ephemera

Thomas Jefferson Papers