Why Massachusetts Didn’t Learn About the Declaration of Independence Until July 18

On July 4, 1776, Philadelphia was abuzz with excitement after the Founding Fathers voted to declare independence from England. However, in an era without telephones, fax machines, or the internet, it took two weeks for news of the declaration to reach Massachusetts.

The Two-Week News Delay to Boston

"It took days for the prints of the Declaration of Independence to travel from Philadelphia to other cities and towns," according to the Boston Public Library.

"The news did not reach Boston until July 18, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the balcony of the Old State House," according to the library. "Later that day, jubilant crowds pulled down the rooftop lion and unicorn statues, symbols of royal authority, and burned them in a bonfire."

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It has become a tradition to read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston on the Fourth of July.

News Of Independence Day Took Weeks To Reach New Bedford

The Five Massachusetts Signers

Five Massachusetts men, all members of the Continental Congress, were signers of the Declaration of Independence. They include John Adams, his cousin Sam Adams, John Hancock, Elbridge Gerry, and Robert Treat Paine. Adams would become the nation's first Vice President and Second President.

READ MORE: Massachusetts Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Massachusetts was the first state to officially declare the Fourth of July a state holiday in 1781.

Dartmouth and New Bedford’s Unique 1776 Timeline

There was no public reading of the Declaration of Independence in New Bedford, known simply as Bedford or Bedford Village, which was a part of the township of Dartmouth. The document was first read to residents at the Dartmouth town meeting and by local clergy in late July 1776.

VisitMA.com stated, "Today, New Bedford honors this history with an annual public reading (Declaration of Independence) event called 'Liberty Declared,' held on July 18 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum."

The date coincides with the anniversary of the first official public proclamation of independence in Massachusetts.

Listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at noon on WBSM 1420 AM and 99.5 FM.