Speaker Series: When The Declaration of Independence Was News

We are honored to welcome historian and author, Dr. Emily Sneff to historic Christ Church for a captivating presentation on her latest book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News.

About the Book

Published for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world. Dr. Sneff reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence—from the printers who worked through the night and the soldiers who heard it read in camp, to the diplomats who carried it overseas and the translators who shaped its message for a global audience.

Copies of her book are available for purchase after the talk.

A Special Focus on Christ Church

In this presentation, Dr. Sneff will also delve into the specific impact of the Revolution on historic congregations. She will discuss how Anglican ministers, including the first chaplain to Continental Congress, Rev. Jacob Duché, reacted to the Declaration and how the move toward independence fundamentally reshaped Anglican churches and the Book of Common Prayer. There is no better place to discuss this history than Christ Church, a landmark that served as a spiritual and social hub for the very people Dr. Sneff writes about.

In addition to the presentation, guests are invited to a reception in the Neighborhood House at 5:30 PM and encouraged to explore the accompanying exhibit, Fractured Symbols, Traditions, and Congregations. Through archival records and personal accounts, this exhibit reveals how the Revolution divided worshippers and forced clergy to make impossible choices. Key artifacts on display include a fragment of King George III’s coat of arms and a Book of Common Prayer where prayers to the Royal Family were crossed out in July 1776.

About the Author

Dr. Emily Sneff is an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She earned her Ph.D. in History from William & Mary and serves as a consulting curator for exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and Historic Trappe.