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Mary Katherine Goddard (1738–1816), printer Broadside of the Declaration of Independence Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katharine Goddard, 1777 Rare Book Division
When you picture the Declaration of Independence, what comes to mind?
Most people envision a single, iconic document–parchment, signatures, maybe even a scene from National Treasure. But what if I told you, the Declaration of Independence isn’t just one document, but many documents? And that each version of the Declaration tells a different story–a story not just about American independence, but about the people who printed, read, preserved, and even re-wrote the Declaration?
Emily Sneff is one of the leading experts on the Declaration of Independence. She has spent more than a decade researching the Declaration’s origins, and its different copies. She’s the former research manager of the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard, a consulting curator for Revolution 250 exhibits at the Museum of the American Revolution and the American Philosophical Society, and I’m proud to say, she’s is one of our former interns here at Ben Franklin’s World.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Episode Summary
Emily Sneff is a historian of early America and a leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She’s a consulting curator for museum exhibitions planned for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration in 2026 at the Museum of the American Revolution, the American Philosophical Society, and Historic Trappe, which is in Pennsylvania. She’s also worked behind the scenes here at Ben Franklin’s World, first in helping us plan for Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft, and later as our very first Omohundro Institute intern.
During our exploration of the Declaration of Independence, Emily reveals why there isn’t one definitive copy of the Declaration of Independence and why it matters. How people in 1776 engaged with the Declaration, from public readings to personal annotations on copies of the document. And, how generations of Americans—from abolitionists to suffragists—have interpreted the Declaration’s promise of equality and liberty.
What You’ll Discover
How Emily became an expert on the Declaration of IndependenceWhat we still need to know about the DeclarationThe sparse records of the Continental CongressThe danger of drafting the Declaration of IndependenceCopies of the Declaration of IndependenceOfficial Declaration of Independence copiesThe creation of the U.S. National Archives’ copy of the DeclarationCharleston celebrates the Declaration of IndependenceWhy we mark the Fourth of July, not the Second of JulyA timeline of the Independence debate and voteKing George III and the Declaration of IndependenceJohn Hancock’s signature on the DeclarationBritons’ responses to the Declaration of IndependenceTranslating the Declaration of Independence into foreign languagesThe philosophical roots of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”Interpretations of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”Thomas Jefferson and the drafting of the DeclarationCongressional changes to Jefferson’s draft Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration’s draft transatlantic slave trade grievanceAbigail Adams’ comments on the Declaration of IndependenceThe paper used for the Declaration of IndependenceThe cast of people involved in declaring independenceLinks to People, Places, and Publications
Emily SneffDeclaration Resources ProjectMuseum of the American RevolutionAmerican Philosophical SocietyHistorica TrappeUnited States National Archives, Declaration of IndependenceJohn Dunlap Broadside, Declaration of Independence Mary Katherine Goddard, Declaration of IndependenceJohn Carter Brown LibraryPeter Timothy, Declaration of IndependenceEliga Gould, Among the Powers of the EarthPauline Maier, American ScriptureLemuel Haynes, Liberty Further Extended Robert G. Parkinson, Thirteen ClocksPhilip Syng Ink Stand William Stone Engraving of the DeclarationTranscriptTime Warp
In your opinion, what might have happened if Congress had declared independence earlier in 1776 or later in 1776? So what if independence had not been declared in July 1776?
Complementary Episodes
Episode 018: Our Declaration
Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft
Episode 245: Celebrating the Fourth
Episode 277: Whose Fourth of July?
Episode 388: John Hancock
Episode 394: The Pursuit of Happiness
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The post Episode 415: Emily Sneff, The Many Declarations of Independence appeared first on Ben Franklin's World.
