My Genealogy Hound

Independence Day, Signing of The Declaration of Independence - vintage postcard

In times past, it was traditional to send colorful postcards in celebration of the various holidays or celebrated events. This vintage postcard is an early example of a card for Independence Day - Fourth of July Celebration, this vintage postcard features an artist view of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

While Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, no one actually signed the document on that day. The document that we refer to as the Declaration of Indepencence was hand written (or "engrossed") on parchment and it was not ready for signing for several weeks. While the Declaration of Indepence was formally approved on July 4, the first signatures were not added to the document until August 2 when most of the delegates signed and a few delegates signed even later. In all, 56 delegates signed their names to the declaration. This version of the account of the signing is the generally accepted account based on the fact that not all of the delegates were in Philadelphia on July 4; that the parchment document was not yet ready for signing; that the delegates from New York did not give their formal approval until July 9; and the statement by Thomas McKean, a delegate from Delaware, that "no person signed it on that day nor for many days afterward."

On the other hand, three key delegates and signers: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin each stated that the document was signed on July 4. So whose account is correct? We likely will never know with absolute certainty when the Declaration of Independence was signed. We do know this however: Congress did formally approve and adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4th and thus this is the day that is celebrated.