Which printer was the first to publish copies of the US Declaration of Independence in 1776?

The US Declaration of Independence was a document announcing the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were no longer a part of the British Empire. Copies were first made by a printer named John Dunlap and were called broadsides. The Dunlap broadsides were the first published copies, printed on the night of July 4, 1776, ordered by John Hancock. It is unknown exactly how many copies were printed, but the number is estimated at about 200.

When he was 10 years old, John Dunlap (1747-1812) went to work as an apprentice to his uncle, William Dunlap, a printer and bookseller in Philadelphia. John eventually bought the business from his uncle and at first made a living by printing sermons and probably broadsides and handbills. In 1776, Dunlap secured a lucrative printing contract for the Continental Congress.

The Dunlap broadsides announcing the Declaration were sent across the new United States over the next two days, including to Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington. He directed that the Declaration be read to the troops on July 9.

During the Revolutionary War, Dunlap became an officer in the First Troop Philadelphia City Calvary and saw action with George Washington at the battles of Trenton and Princeton.

Andrew Bradford and his grandfather William Bradford were also printers during the Revolutionary War.