We Hold These Truths
When The Declaration of Independence Was News
Saturday, September 19, 2025
Time: TBD
Milford Theater – Ticketed event
Emily Sneff on When the Declaration of Independence Was News
In 1776, after John Hancock and the other Founders signed the Declaration of Independence, what happened next? How was the document printed, where was it sent, who read it in public squares, in what languages was it translated? Who celebrated the Declaration, and who critiqued it? Independence was very big news, and spreading the news involved printers, post riders, ship captains, soldiers, preachers, diplomats, and many others. Join historian Emily Neff as she talks about her new book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News, and discover an expansive and complex history of a critical moment in the American Revolution.
Emily Sneff
Dr. Emily Sneff is an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She earned her Ph.D. in History from William & Mary. She is a consulting curator for exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and Historic Trappe.
Appearing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators.