Explore John Trumbull's engraving of the Declaration of Independence. 

The Second Continental Congress met in the building now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. It was originally built in 1732 and acted as the Pennsylvania State House. The Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed here in 1776, and the United States Constitution was adopted and signed here in 1787. Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from May 10, 1775 to December 12, 1776, and again from 1790 to 1800.

Compare the room in the engraving to the room in the photograph. What is the same? What did the artist John Trumbull  change? 

What do you notice about this painting? You can think about who the people are, what they are wearing, how they are standing, and more. 

Write down your observations. Why do you think the artist chose to show this event in this way? 

Charles Thomson was the secretary of Congress. He was responsible of keeping records about what happened at meetings of the delegates during the First Continental Congress, the Second Continental Congress, and the Constitutional Convention. He did not officially sign the Declaration of Independence. 

When working on this painting, Trumbull set out to preserve the images of the nation's founders. This painting depicts 47 people: 42 of the 56 signers of the Declaration and 5 other Americans who did not sign the Declaration. 

This engraving shows the Committee of Five presenting the first draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress on June 28, 1776. The President of the Second Continental Congress, John Hancock of Massachusetts, is seated at the desk. 

John Trumbull (1756 - 1843) was an American painter. He is best known for his paintings of the American Revolution, and for four paintings around the United States Capitol rotunda, completed between 1817 - 1824. This painting was placed in the rotunda in 1826. A smaller engraving of this painting, seen here, hangs in the Entrance Hall at Monticello. 

The Committee of Five was made up of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert Livingston of New York. 

Standards for The Declaration of Independence in Historical Memory