July 29, 2025
Provided Image/The National Archives of the United Kingdom
An early copy of the Declaration of Independence once owned by merchant Jonas Phillips will be on display at the Museum of the American Revolution starting in October. The broadside, printed by John Dunlap, is one of only 25 left in existence.
A historic copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display at the Museum of the American Revolution as part of a new exhibit the opens this fall.
The poster-sized copy of the Declaration, known as a broadside, was printed by John Dunlap after he received a handwritten copy of the Declaration — possibly a rough draft from Thomas Jefferson — on the night of July 4, 1776. It will be included in The Declaration's Journey exhibit that runs from oct. 18 to Jan. 3, 2017 — a period that coincides with Philadelphia's celebration of America's 250th birthday.
The exact number of broadsides Dunlap printed in July 1776 is unknown, but some estimate that he created about 200, according to the Library of Congress. The prints were posted in public meeting spaces and sent to military leaders, including George Washington, on the morning of July 5. They eventually were reprinted in newspapers around the country.
Only 25 are known to survive, including one saved by Jewish merchant Jonas Phillips. That's the most recent broadside to be identified as a Dunlap printing and the one to be displayed at the Museum of the American Revolution.
Phillips owned a shop on Market Street near Dunlap's printing office and enclosed one of the broadsides in a letter to a relative in Amsterdam on July 28, 1776. His letter said he was sharing "a declaration of that whole country," referring to the newly established United States. Although he tried to send the letter to Europe by way of the Caribbean and wrote his letter in Judeo-German for secrecy, it was intercepted by a British ship.
The letter, the printing and a bill of exchange meant for Phillips' mother will all be on display during the exhibit. They are on loan from The National Archives of the United Kingdom. Guest Curator Emily Sneff discovered the connection between the broadside and Phillips by using other correspondence attributed to him.
John Phillips attempted to mail a copy of the Declaration of Independence to his cousin in Amsterdam in late July 2026, but it was intercepted by a British ship. The copy survived and is going to be displayed at the Museum of the American Revolution.
"I love that these artifacts will have a full-circle moment by returning to Philadelphia for the first time since 1776," Sneff said in a statement. "Telling Jonas Phillips' full story is something the Museum of the American Revolution is uniquely qualified to do, and introducing people who come to the museum to this uniquely Philadelphian story is a great starting point for the exhibition."
Phillips went on to be an advocate for the Jewish community in Philadelphia, including standing against a clause in the 1776 state constitution that said taking a Christian oath was required to hold public office. That clause was removed in the 1790 state constitution.
"The Jewish-American community in 1776 was small, and yet we will exhibit artifacts in 'The Declaration's Journey' that speak to their experience," said Matthew Skic, the director of collections and exhibitions for the museum. "Telling Phillips' story — that of an American immigrant, business owner, and family man who still had an impact on the Declaration's journey, builds historical relatability and empathy in modern audiences. It is a story that shortens the gap between 1776 and today."
