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News  July's Collection Spotlight: The Declaration of Independence

Found in a 1789 Publication of Perpetual Laws
6/30/2025
  • State Library of Massachusetts
John Hancock's printed name on the Declaration of Independence
1789 version of the Declaration of Independence printed as part of The Perpetual Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Perpetual Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

(Boston: Adams and Nourse, 1789)

This month, displayed in our Collection Spotlight case is a version of the Declaration of Independence, as printed in a 1789 volume of Perpetual Laws. The volume is comprised of laws enacted from the period of the commencement of the Constitution in October 1780, to the last Wednesday in May, 1789, and is prefaced by foundational documents like the Declaration show here, the state and federal Constitution, and more.

Visit us from July 1 through August 5 to see the Declaration on display, and read more about this publication and the two of our other versions of the Declaration found in our collection, in our blog post.

  • State Library of Massachusetts 

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