Plymouth joins worldwide reading of the Declaration of Independence

PLYMOUTH — “It gave me chills on a very hot evening,” one listener exclaimed after hearing the Declaration of Independence read from the steps of Plymouth Town Hall on July 8, exactly 250 years after it was first read to the American people. “That was an incredibly powerful event … I’ll be processing it for a while,” said another. Many others in the crowd of 200 had similar reactions.

The reading was especially moving for two reasons: the powerful words of the Declaration of Independence itself and the fact that our readers were simultaneously joining fellow Americans in all 50 states and Territories and around the world in a synchronized reading of the founding document. Americans on all seven continents joined in at exactly the same time (6 p.m. EDT.) There was a reading at the Chateau de Chavaniac-Lafayette, the birthplace of the Marquis de Lafayette, and a reading at the National Science Foundation McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Though widely separated geographically (spanning across 19 time zones) Americans around the world joined together in time to read the document that made us a country. Our country’s newest state, Hawaii, organized the massive event through its Hawaii 250 organization. Plymouth Historical Society worked with them to bring it to New Hampshire. The Plymouth event was supported by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.

In Plymouth, volunteers ranging in age from middle school through to a matriarch in her early 90s took part. Each section of the Declaration was read by a different person, symbolizing the many voices that came together to produce and approve the document separating the former colonies from Great Britain and founding a new nation. “In particular, I was moved by the townspeople’s participation in the reading. Having a new voice read each sentence was brilliant; It helped me consider and appreciate each sentiment in the document,” said a listener. Others, including the readers themselves, agreed.

Before the reading, fife and drum musicians played spirited revolutionary songs. The New Hampshire Music Festival provided the music. Selectboard Chairman Zach Tirrell and Plymouth Historical Society Program Committee Co-Chair Marcia Schmidt Blaine introduced the program. After the reading Rotarians served ice cream donated by M n’ M Scoops to a hot and grateful crowd.

The Plymouth program was presented by the Plymouth Historical Society, Pease Public Library, and the Town of Plymouth. A video of the live streamed program can be viewed at PlymouthNHHistory.org.