243rd Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

On July 1, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to deliberate the issue of independence. On July 2, 1776, 12 of the 13 colonies voted for independence from Great Britain, with New York abstaining. The 3rd and part of the 4th were spent discussing and revising Thomas Jefferson’s draft declaration. On July 4th the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The actual signing was not accomplished till almost a month later as the Declaration needed to be engrossed on parchment. Except for Robert R. Livingston, most of the other delegates signed by August 2nd. New York approved the Declaration on July 9, 1776.

A Committee of Five, consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston, were tasked with the reproduction and distribution of the Declaration of Independence. They procured the services of John Dunlap, the proprietor of a print shop in Philadelphia. Today, some two dozen or so of the Dunlap Broadsides still exist. These copies are different from the original signed copy which is currently located in the National Archives in Washington DC. In 2009 a Dunlap printing surfaced in the British National Archives.

For a detailed discussion of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, see the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard University at: https://declaration.fas.harvard.edu/blog/signing

This month of October 2012 marks fifty years since the Cuban Missile Crisis.  There are a number of conferences that examine the events of October 1962:

October 15, 2012 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 1:00-2:30 pm

Is the World More Dangerous 50 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-world-more-dangerous-50-years-after-the-cuban-missile-crisis There will be a live webcast of this event.

October 17, 2012 Woodrow International Center for Scholars 3:30-5:00 pm

The Soviet Cuban Missile Crisis: Castro, Mikoyan, Kennedy, Khruschev, and the Missiles of November

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-soviet-cuban-missile-crisis-castro-mikoyan-kennedy-khrushchev-and-the-missiles-november

October 18, 2012 National Archives McGowan Theater Noon

From the Vaults: The Cuban Missile Crisis  Films from the Archives holdings.

https://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/events/

October 23, 2012 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 4:00 pm-5:00 pm

Foreign Relations of the United States and the Cuban Missile Crisis

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/foreign-relations-the-united-states-and-the-cuban-missile-crisis

October 24, 2012 Woodrow Wilson International center for Scholars 3:30 pm-5:00 pm

Cuban Missile Crisis: Nuclear Order of Battle

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/cuban-missile-crisis-nuclear-order-battle

October 25, 2012 Elliott School George Washington University 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis: Lessons Learned

https://www.elliottschool.org/events/calendar.cfm?fuseaction=ViewMonthDetail&yr=2012&mon=10#1883