Editor's note on July 8, 2022: This story quotes the U.S. Declaration of Independence — a document that contains offensive language about Native Americans, including a racial slur.
Twenty-nine years ago, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.
Church bells rang out over Philadelphia as the Continental Congress adopted this draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Below is the original text of the Declaration, alongside photos of the NPR staff members who performed the reading.
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Steve Inskeep (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Rachel Martin (Stephen Voss / NPR)
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David Greene (David Gilkey / NPR)
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Julie McCarthy ( / Wen Wang)
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Sam Sanders 2017 square (Corey Seeholzer / NPR)
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Don Gonyea (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Deborah Amos ( / Steve Barrett)
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Joe Palca (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Audie Cornish 2010 (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Shankar Vedantam (Gary Knight / VII)
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Lourdes Garcia-Navarro ( / Dario Lopez Mills)
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Sylvia Poggioli (Kainaz Amaria / NPR)
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Langfitt ( / Steve Barrett)
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Cheryl Corley (Steve Barrett / NPR)
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Nina Totenberg (Steve Barrett / NPR)
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Michel Martin (Steve Voss / NPR)
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Elizabeth Blair (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Ofeibea Quist-Arcton ( / Jacques Coughlin)
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Mary Louise Kelly 2010 (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Mara Liasson (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Linda Wertheimer ( / Steve Barrett)
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Sonari Glinton 2010 (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Jackie Northam ( / skphotomedia)
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Gene Demby 2013 (Kainaz Amaria / NPR)
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Ari Shapiro (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Eyder Peralta (Kainaz Amaria / NPR)
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Susan Stamberg (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Scott Horsley (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Cokie Roberts (Steve Fenn / ABC, Inc.)
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David Greene (David Gilkey / NPR)
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Rachel Martin 2016 (Stephen Voss / NPR)
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Steve Inskeep (Doby Photography / NPR)
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Mary Louise Kelly 2010 (Doby Photography / NPR)