NEW HAVEN -- A rare, first edition copy of the declaration is on display this week at Yale’s Beinecke library.
It is perfectly typed, right down to the hey , where are the signatures? And why isn’t this on parchment? According to Curator George Miles, “that’s the one that clearly sticks in our mind."
But this one came first after the founding fathers made the Declaration with the support of Congress. Then, they got the word out by quickly printing up 200 copies of the Declaration. Two weeks later, they made a manuscript copy, one they could sign on parchment paper.
“This is the earliest, the first surviving text of the Declaration”, said Miles.
This copy is one of just 29 left in existence and on display this week at a time more important than ever.