The Latest Breaking News from the Continental Congress

Volunteer sorting old Royal Navy papers finds rare 1776 US Declaration of Independence copy

A volunteer sorting old Royal Navy papers at The National Archives in London has uncovered a rare 1776 printing of the US Declaration of Independence, found among letters sent by a British captain after capturing an American privateer ship. The document is one of only 11 surviving copies printed in…

The Times of India · Sep 23

'Government Totally Annihilated': How Americans Governed Themselves as British Rule Crumbled

America in the mid-1770s was a jumble of spontaneous formations amid the ruins of an empire.

Reason · Jul 14

Celebrate America all year long with Ballotpedia’s Blueprints of Democracy

In a July 3 letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams wrote that the day the Continental Congress voted to approve America’s Declaration of Independence (July 2) would be “the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.”

Ballotpedia · Jul 3

America's First Drafts

Before it was history, the Declaration of Independence was news. Not everyone got the story right.

Reason · Apr 20

1776’s Declaration of Independence inspired Washington’s troops to fight against the odds – and also helped bring in powerful allies

A crowd gathered along the waterfront in New York City in the summer of 1776. The scene they witnessed was terrifying.

The Conversation · Apr 7

The 14th Annual Harlan Institute Virtual Supreme Court Competition: Patriots v. Loyalists

Should the United Colonies declare independence from Great Britain?

Reason · Oct 9, 2025

Judge Barbara Lagoa (11th Cir.) Criticizes New York Times v. Sullivan

From Judge Lagoa's concurrence in Friday's Dershowitz v. CNN, Inc. (and see also Judge Charles Wilson's concurrence taking the opposite… The post Judge Barbara Lagoa (11th Cir.) Criticizes New York Times v. Sullivan appeared first on Reason.com.

Reason · Sep 2, 2025

A year before declaring independence, colonists offered 'Olive Branch' petition to King George III

Millions of protesters have denounced President Donald Trump as a would-be autocrat and marched under the banner “No Kings.”

The Independent UK · Jul 4, 2025

Along with the ideals it expresses, the Declaration of Independence mourns for something people lost in 1776 − and now, too

Right around the Fourth of July, Americans pay renewed attention to the country’s crucial founding document, the Declaration of Independence. Whether Republican or Democrat or independent, some will say – with reverence – that adherence to the values expressed in the declaration is what makes them American.

The Conversation · Jun 17, 2025

Fires, wars and bureaucracy: The tumultuous journey to establish the US National Archives

Some of the United States’ most important historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation, are housed in the U.S. National Archives. Beyond these high-profile items, it also preserves lesser-known but no less vital records, such as national park master plans,…

The Conversation · Mar 19, 2025