Separated at Birth: Text and Context of the Declaration of Independence.

This essay analyzes the evolution of the iconic text of the Declaration of Independence. The printed document issued by the Continental Congress that was circulated to the colonies for reading was soon recast as a manuscript, divorcing the text from its context in print culture. Calligraphic form has portrayed the content of the Declaration so convincingly that it has taken on a life of its own, but in visual rather than verbal terms, and the implications of this form of representation are explored here.