The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress represented the Thirteen Colonies, 12 of the colonies voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The New York delegation abstained because they had not yet received instructions from Albany to vote for independence. The Declaration proclaimed the Thirteen Colonies were now "free and independent States", no longer colonies of the Kingdom of Great Britain and, thus, no longer a part of the British Empire.

 

The signers’ names are grouped by state, with the exception of John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress; the states are arranged geographically from south to north, with Button Gwinnett from Georgia first, and Matthew Thornton from New
Hampshire last.

The final draft of the Declaration was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, although the date of its signing has long been disputed. Most historians have concluded that it was signed on August 2, 1776, nearly a month after its adoption, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed. On that steamy July day in Philadelphia, Josiah Bartlett from Kingston, Matthew Thornton from Londonderry and William Whipple from Portsmouth signed as New Hampshire delegates to the Continental Congress.
 

The Declaration of Independence was the final straw in the break between England and the thirteen colonies. As we approach the 250th anniversary of that day, we look back locally at how events leading up to the signing affected the lives of our residents here in Newmarket. To that we have responded by planning a series of lectures, interactive events, and discussions with the theme "Newmarket In The Revolution".
 

The first public event was held on December 15, 2024, in cooperation with the New Market Historical Society, Newmarket Community Church, NH Sons of the American Revolution, and Dearborn Company of the 2nd NH Regiment of Militia. We celebrated and explored Newmarket's role on the 250th Anniversary of the Powder Raids on Fort William and Mary in Newcastle, New Hampshire first overt act of rebellion and where the
first shots were fired in the American Revolution.