Two hundred and fifty years ago, the first copies of the Declaration of Independence to be distributed to the public were printed on July 4, 1776, as broadsides.

Broadsides, or single sheets of paper printed on one side, are a form of printed ephemera, created for a specific, limited purpose and generally designed to be discarded after use. These sheets were posted, publicly distributed, and sometimes sold. Broadsides were a popular communication tool in early America, similar to contemporary posters.

Come learn more about broadsides and early American printing through the examination of 18^th and 19^th-century (and some contemporary) American ephemera from the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives & Special Collections.

Explore themes of freedom and democracy in print and then get hands-on as you typeset and print your own broadside in the Text & conText Lab!

Image from the Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.