2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Join Morven, the home of Signer Richard Stockton, for our public program series Generation Declaration shedding light on little known or underrepresented aspects of America’s founding document.

On July 19, Morven welcomes historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence Dr. Emily Sneff for “When the Declaration of Independence Was News.” The program focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators.

Copies of Sneff’s latest book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News, will be available for purchase and signing. Registration includes museum admission on July 19 from 10 am-2 pm.