Collection Summary
Declaration of Independence Collection
1776-1942
1776-1942
MSS18135
60 items
1 containers plus 11 oversize
.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Miscellaneous copies of documents, mostly
photostats, relating to the creation of the Declaration of Independence and its Virginia
antecedents.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826.
Stone, William James, 1798-1865.
Organizations
United States. Continental Congress.
United States. Declaration of Independence.
Virginia. Constitution (1776)
Virginia. Declaration of Rights.
Places
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.
United States--Politics and government--1775-1783.
Virginia--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.
Virginia--Politics and government--1775-1783.
Acquistion Information
The Declaration of Independence Collection consisting of miscellaneous copies of
documents, mostly photostats, relating to the creation of the Declaration of
Independence and its Virginia antecedents was obtained through various acquisitions and
institutional sources, including the New York Public Library, University of Virginia
Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Department of State.
Processing History
The collection was compiled and described in 1978 and revised in 2015.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings in the Declaration of Independence Collection in
these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of
Congress has been dedicated to the public.
Access and Restrictions
The Declaration of Independence Collection is open to research. Researchers are advised
to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored
off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Declaration of Independence Collection, Manuscript Division, Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The Declaration of Independence Collection, dating from 1776 to 1942, consists of
miscellaneous copies of documents, mostly photostats, relating to the creation of the
Declaration of Independence and its Virginia antecedents. Originals are at the Library
of Congress, New York Public Library, University of Virginia Library, Massachusetts
Historical Society, and the Department of State. Also in the collection are nineteenth
and early twentieth-century printed copies of the Declaration of Independence. Of note
are photostats of the Virginia Constitution and Declaration of Rights, 1776; photostats
of the Resolution for Independence passed by the Continental Congress on June 7, 1776;
photostats of Thomas Jefferson's record of debates in the Continental Congress, July
1-12, 1776 (originals in the Thomas Jefferson papers at the Library of Congress); and
two copies of William James Stone's facsimile edition of the Declaration of
Independence, published for the U.S. Secretary of State in 1823, and one later edition
of Stone's facsimile. It is possible that some of these documents were assembled for a
1943 exhibition at the Library of Congress, "Genesis of the Declaration of
Independence."
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged largely in chronological order.
Container List
Container
Folder
Contents
1
1
"Ordinances Passed at a General Convention of
Delegates and Representatives . . ." Williamsburg, May 6, 1776. Williamsburg:
Alexander Purdie, 1776. Photostat.
1
2
"Instructions Given by the Convention of Virginia
to their Delegates, May 15, 1776." Photostat. Signed by John Tazewell and Edmund
Pendleton. Original at Library of Congress.
1
3
Virginia Declaration of Rights
1
3
Ms draft, copy, George Mason. Photostat.
Original at Library of Virginia.
1
3
Ms draft, copy, George Mason (not in Mason's
hand). Photostat. Original in Emmet Collection, New York Public
Library.
1
3
Ms draft, George Mason and Thomas Ludwell Lee.
Photostat. Original in George Mason Papers, Library of Congress.
1
3
"A Declaration of Rights,"
Virginia Gazette
, June 1, 1776. Photostat.
1
3
“In Convention, June 12, 1776. A Declaration of
Rights,”
Virginia Gazette
, Postscript, June 14, 1776. Photostat.
1
4
Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution,
Notes
1
4
"Constitution of Virginia, first ideas of Th. J.
Communicated to a member of the Convention." Ms. Photostats. Original in Thomas
Jefferson Papers, Library of Congress.
1
4
"A Bill for new modelling the form of government
and for establishing the Fundamental principles of our future Constitution."
Ms., incomplete. Photostats. Original in Thomas Jefferson Papers, Library of
Congress. With transcript.
1
5
Continental Congress, Richard Henry Lee,
Resolution for Independence, undated [June 7, 1776]. Ms. Photostat. Original in
Continental Congress Papers, Library of Congress.
1
5
Continental Congress, Committee of the Whole,
Resolution for Independence and the Appointment of a Committee to draft a
Declaration of Independence, June 10, 1776. Photostat. Original at Library of
Congress.
1
6
William Fleming to Thomas Jefferson,
Williamsburg, June 15, 1776. Photostat. Original at Library of
Congress.
1
6
William Fleming to Thomas Jefferson,
Williamsburg, June 22, 1776, with enclosure: "A plan laid before a committee
appointed to prepare a form of government," annotated. Photostats. Originals at
Library of Congress.
1
7
Virginia Constitution, 1776
1776
1
7
James Madison, comparison of the Virginia
Constitution as adopted, June 29, 1776, undated Photostat. Original at Library
of Congress.
1
7
Virginia Constitution, adopted June 29, 1776,
printed.
1
8
Thomas Jefferson, record of debates in the
Continental Congress, July 1-12, 1776, written in 1825 for his autobiography.
Photostats. Originals at Library of Congress.
1
9
Continental Congress, Resolution for Independence,
July 2, 1776
July 2, 1776
1
9
Resolution for Independence, Committee of the
Whole, July 2, 1776. Photostat.
1
9
Philadelphia Evening Post
, July 2, 1776, first mention. Photostat.
1
10
Declaration of Independence, 1776. Miscellaneous
photostats, facsimiles, printed copies
1
10
Thomas Jefferson, Rough Draft, [June 29, 1776].
Photostat. Original at Library of Congress.
1
10
Printed facsimile, undated
1
10
Ms copy, July 4, 1776, Emmet Collection, New
York Public Library.
1
10
Ms copy, July 4, 1776, Washburn Collection,
Massachusetts Historical Society.
1
10
Dunlap copy, July 4, 1776, wafered into the
Journal of the Continental Congress, 4 July 1776.
1
10
Dunlap copy, July, 1776.
1
10
Facsimile pages of signatures of signers of the
Declaration of Independence.
1
11
Miscellaneous Documents Relating to the Declaration
of Independence, Copies
1
11
Letter, Committee on Secrecy to John Ross, Sept.
27, 1776.
1
11
Letter, George Mason to Col. William Cabell, 6
May 1783, Emmet Collection, New York Public Library.
1
11
Letter, Thomas Jefferson to James Madison on
debates, 1 June 1783. Library of Congress.
1
11
Cabinet card photograph of stenographic copy of
the Declaration of Independence, George Hawley, 1882.
1
11
"How the Declaration was Received in the Old
Thirteen," in
Harper's Magazine
, July, 1892.
1
11
"Genesis of the Declaration of Independence,"
typed item list of Library of Congress exhibit, February 12, 1931.
OV 1
John Binns edition
OV 1
4 Nov. 1818, autographed by John Q. Adams, James
Porter, printer, 19 Apr. 1819.
OV 1
Reproduced by Henry Sartain, 1876.
OV 1
Reproduced by H. J. Toudy and A. J. Stone,
published by H. J. Toudy Co., 1876.
OV 2
Holland Studio edition, autographed by John Hay, 8
Nov. 1902.
OV 3
James McBride issue, autographed by James G.
Blaine, 18 Dec. 1891.
OV 4
Department of State issue, undated
OV 4
Department of Interior issue, undated
OV 4
National Archives issue, undated
OV 4
Bureau of Engraving and Printing issue, 1939.
OV 4
Ohman Co. reproductions of William J. Stone
edition, 1942 (3 copies).
OV 5
P. F. Collier & Son Co. issue, 1934.
OV 5
C. A. Elliott issue, undated
OV 5
Ohman Co. issue, 1942.
OV 5
A. G. Gilney issue, 1883.
OV 5
Leggo Bros. & Co. issue, 1876.
OV 5
James D. McBride issue, 1874, with local
advertisements (2 copies).
OV 5
Thomas Morrison, 1832, with
advertisements.
OV 5
H. Phelps, 1834(?), with advertisements.
OV 5
B. D. Rising Paper Co., undated
OV 5
G. R. Russell issue, 1856.
OV 5
Swander & Bishop Co. issue 1865.
OV 5
Tanner, Valance, Kearney & Co., undated
OV 5
West Publishing Co. issue, 1920(?).
OV 5
William Woodruff issue, published by O. Rogers,
with photocopy, undated
OV 5
American Bank Note Co. issue, 1876.
OV 6
Unknown (2 items), undated
OV 6
National Liberty Insurance Co. issue,
undated
OV 6
New York
Times
issue, 4 July 1897.
OV 6
Applebaugh-Jones Co. issue, undated
OV 6
John Hancock Insurance Co. issue,
undated
OV 6
Norris Peters issue, 1873.
OV 6
Daughters of the American Revolution issue,
undated
OV 6
Photograph of the Department of State copy,
undated
OV 7
Unidentified issue of Jefferson's draft of the
Declaration of Independence, undated
OV 7
Centennial Offering Co. issue, reproduction by
Schaefer, Waeschle and Kohner, 1876.
OV 7
Baltimore Sun
issue, 4 July 1887.
OV 7
A. F. Jayne issue, 1869.
OV 7
Ensign, Brielman and Fanning issue,
1860.
OV 7
Photographs by L. C. Handy (3), 1903.
OV 7
Photograph by Library of Congress, with 4
photographs of signatures, 1941.
OV 7
Baldwin & Gleason engraved miniature, undated
OV 8
Reproduced by Norman H. Chance, 1923.
OV 8
Benjamin Owen Tyler edition, autographed by Richard
Rush, engraved by Peter Maverick, 10 Sept. 1818.
OV 9
William J. Stone facsimiles, engraved for the
Department of State by order of J. Q. Adams, secretary of state, July 4,
1823.
OV 9
Copy 1
OV 10
Copy 2
OV 11
Copy 3, from the later edition struck from the
same plate with the legend, lower left: "W.J..Stone SC, Washn."