Mysteries of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous documents in American History. Most American children learn something about this founding document: it was written by Thomas Jefferson, was signed on July 4, 1776, and declared our Independence from Britain, which was an oppressive government that taxed the colonists but allowed no representation. That is what we are taught. How much of that is true?

Find out which of these are true, which are false, and some other strange oddities behind the Declaration of Independence right here.

The Declaration of Independence is stored in the National Archives. It is well-protected, of course. While you can see the original document, you won't be able to touch it unless you are an archivist, and even then, probably not.

The 56 signers of this document were risking their lives when they signed it. Many of the signers paid a heavy price for endorsing American independence. Some lost their fortunes, others lost family members. You can read more about what happened to the signers in the book Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.

You may think that this is a silly question to ask; however, there are actually more than one copy of the Declaration of Independence floating around. Only one of them was signed though. After a hand-written copy of the Declaration of Independence was created, the document was sent to a printer named John Dunlap. He printed out about 200 copies of the Declaration. The location of only 26 of these copies is known today.

The document that you can look at in the National Archives was signed by most people on August 2nd, 1776. It was only signed by two people on July 4, 1776: John Hancock and Charles Thompson. One signer, Matthew Thornton, actually signed it on November 4th. He was not a part of the Continental Congress that July, which accounts for his late signature.

Everybody knows that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, right? During his lifetime, he didn't advertise the fact. It was only after he died that the fact that he wrote the document was printed in his obituary.

Did he actually write it, or is there another author? Some people believe that Thomas Jefferson merely edited the document, and that Thomas Paine is the actual author. Thomas Paine is well known for his pamphlet "Common Sense".

While there isn't a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence (despite what the movie National Treasure says), there is a handprint on the back. The handprint might have been left there during the document's early years, when it was not put on display, and was rolled up; some people think that the handprint might belong to Thomas Paine.

While you may think that you know where the original Declaration of Independence is (National Archives, of course), that's not the original document. The copy that is secured behind bulletproof glass was written that summer, just not on July 4, 1776.

The original, "fair" copy has been lost. Does it still exist? Who knows? Finding the document would be a treasure hunter's dream. The broadsides from that night have sold for millions of dollars; imagine if you found the original!

Even after 200 years, people are still finding copies of the Dunlap broadsides. If the original wasn't destroyed somehow, it could still be out there. One of the broadsides was found behind a painting. Think of what was going on when the document was originally drafted: there was a war going on. It may have been hidden to protect it from the British; during the course of the war, it could have been moved, and the only people who knew of its whereabouts might have been killed. They might not have kept written documentation of where it was moved in order to prevent the British from finding it.

The original could be out there. Perhaps it is locked away in some attic or in some dusty old library. Recovering it would be the find of the century.