Honors College hosts event celebrating Declaring Independence: How America Announced Its Birth to the World exhibit

In partnership with UNM Alumni, The University of New Mexico Honors College will host a reception on Monday, Aug. 3 at the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections at Zimmerman Library as the "Declaring Independence: How America Announced its Birth to the World" exhibit, which is on display now through Aug. 2, winds down.

The exhibit features early printings of the Declaration of Independence, British magazines published in the weeks after independence was declared, and artifacts connected to influential figures such as John Hancock.

Among the artifacts on display are two original printings of the 1776 Journal of Congress, which contains the first official printing of the Declaration of Independence as it was read during the Second Continental Congress. The journal served as an official record of Congressional action and was primarily distributed to government officials, delegates and foreign representatives.

Visitors to the exhibit can also see a copy of the August 1776 issue of Gentleman's Magazine, the first English magazine to print the Declaration of Independence. The magazine, which was founded in 1731, gave the British public one of their first opportunities to read the colonies justification for separating from the British Empire and revealed the full scale of the conflict.

Also on display is a copy of the Resolution for Independence, the vote that was undertaken which led to the dissolution of political allegiance to Great Britain. The vote was taken on July 2, 1776 after weeks of debate and set the stage for the Declaration of Independence two days later.

There is also a copy of the Force printing of the Declaration, a recognized and influential printing of the document, made from the copperplate engraved by William J. Stone, who was commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820 to allow the document to be preserved for future generations. The engraving is the most accurate representation of how the document would have appeared in 1776.

The reception will last from 3 to 5 p.m. and will feature light refreshments as attendees get a chance to interact with students, faculty and alumni as they explore the exhibit one final time before it closes.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to RVSP here. The exhibit can be viewed during Zimmerman Library's normal hours, 8-6 Monday through Friday and noon-6 on Sunday. The library is closed on Saturdays.