Honor the history behind Independence Day with a visit to the Rhode Island State Archives for a once-a-year showing of the state’s trio of copies of the Declaration of Independence.
The special holiday display will be open for visitors from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 4, at the State Archives on Broad Street in Providence, Secretary of State Gregg Amore announced in a statement on Monday.
“The State Archives are the keepers of three beautifully-preserved pieces of American history – Rhode Island’s copies of the Declaration of Independence,” Amore said in a statement. “I hope Rhode Islanders and visitors alike will take advantage of this opportunity to see our history up close.”
The event marks the only day of the year that all three documents will be publicly displayed in the state archives. During the rest of the year, the public can view the copies by making an appointment with archives staff, who can retrieve the documents from their storage space.
This year’s display also features a new banner exhibit explaining the background of each of the copies of the country’s founding document.
The oldest of the trio, the Southwick Printing, is one of roughly 200 copies printed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, immediately following the approval by Congress that same day. Then-Gov. Nicholas Cooke received Rhode Island’s copy two days later, according to the Department of State. A local printer for the Newport Mercury, Solomon Southwick, was also paid to reproduce the document to give to the state’s town clerks.
Six months later, in January 1777, a second printing of the Declaration was authorized through Connecticut printer Mary Goddard. Unlike the prior iteration, the second round publicly identified the names of each document signatory. A third, stone engraving of the same document was ordered in 1823, with 200 printings shared with surviving signers, government officials and departments, and higher education institutions.
Also part of the state’s July 4 exhibit: a newly authorized portrait reproduction of the First Rhode Island Regiment, a group of 130 Black soldiers who joined the Continental Army in 1778 and were immediately freed upon enlistment. The formation of the regiment marked the first and only time a state government offered freedom in exchange for service during the Revolutionary War, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
The original “Brave Men as Ever Fought” portrait by Don Troiani was displayed at the Rhode Island State House from March to June, but is now en route back to its home at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. The state’s authorized copy will be traveling to various locations throughout the state in 2026, including the State House, Faith Chybowski, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, said in an email.
The State Archives houses more than 10 million letters, photographs and other important state documents in its home at 33 Broad St. in Providence. More information is available online at https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/state-archives.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
