The Declaration of Independence - 10 Interesting Facts You May Have Never Heard Of Before

Believe it or not, the Unites States Day on Independence isn't believed to be exactly on the 4th. Yes, that is just one of the interesting facts but we'll go more into the details of that.

An article from Yahoo News explains why the US' Independence Day might not really have been on the 4th of July along with 10 other historic and interesting facts about the Declaration of Independence.

1. Is Independence Day really July 2?

Courtesy Yahoo News

Officially, the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Britain on July 2, 1776, when it approved a resolution and delegates from New York were given permission to make it a unanimous vote. John Adams thought July 2 would be marked as a national holiday for generations to come.

2. July 4 is when the Declaration was adopted

After voting on independence, the Continental Congress needed to finalize a document explaining the move to the public. It had been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson) and it took two days for the Congress to agree on the edits.

3. Six people signed the Declaration and also the Constitution

Franklin was literally among a handful of people who signed both historic documents. The others were George Read, Sherman, Robert Morris, George Clymer and James Wilson.

4. But they didn’t sign the Declaration on July 4^th!

Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration on Independence document on July 4, it ordered that it be send to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were printed, with John Hancock’s name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain.

5. So what if I stumble upon a lost version of the Dunlap Broadside at a flea market?

That’s exactly what happened in 1989 in Adamstown, Pa. It was tucked behind an old picture in a frame and it cost the buyer $4. That version of the Declaration was eventually acquired by TV producer Norman Lear for $8.1 million.

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You can check out the rest of those interesting facts through the link above.