BOOK TOUR

Check Back for More Dates and Locations Soon!

Check Back for More Dates and Locations Soon! –

April 18, 2026
Book Launch Celebration at Historic Trappe • Trappe, PA

4:00–6:00 pm
Dewees Tavern 301 W. Main Street, Trappe, PA
Free, Click to Register


April 20, 2026
Organization of American States • Washington, D.C.

OAS Columbus Memorial Library 19th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington D.C.


April 21, 2026
American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati • Washington, D.C. • Hybrid

6:30 pm
Anderson House 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Free, Click to Register


April 24, 2026
Pennsylvania Antiques Show • Valley Forge, PA

10:00 am
Valley Forge Casino Resort 1160 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA
Click for More Information


April 25, 2026
The Pursuit of History • Philadelphia, PA

Sold Out, Click for More Information


April 28, 2026
Lorenzo Cultural Center, Macomb Community College • Clinton Township, MI

11:00 am
Lorenzo Cultural Center 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township, MI
Free, Click to Register


April 29, 2026
Washington Crossing Historic Park • Washington Crossing, PA • Hybrid

America250PA Lecture250 Series: “The Writing of the Declaration and What It Meant in 1776”
6:00 pm
Washington Crossing Historic Park 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA
Free, Click to Register


April 30, 2026
Greater Cape May Historical Society • Cape May, NJ

6:00 pm
Cape May City County Library Branch 720 Franklin Street, Cape May, NJ
Click for More Information


May 4, 2026
Rhode Island Historical Society • Providence, RI


May 5, 2026
Newport Historical Society • Newport, RI

Tavern Talk
6:30–7:30 pm
Richard I. Burnham Resouce Center 82 Touro Street, Newport, RI
Tickets $15–20, Click to Register


May 7, 2026
John Carter Brown Library • Providence, RI


May 12, 2026
DAR Museum • Virtual

Tuesday Talk
12:00 pm
Click for More Information


May 12, 2026
Valley Forge Park Alliance • Valley Forge, PA

6:30–7:30 pm
The Circuit Amenity Center851 Duportail Road, Chesterbrook, PA
Tickets $20, Click to Register


May 13, 2026
U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center • Carlisle, PA • Hybrid

6:30 pm
Click for More Information


May 15, 2026
Essex Historical Society • Essex, CT

History Hour at Essex Meadows: “The Woman Who Printed the Declaration”
10:00–11:00 am
Essex Meadows-Hamilton Hall30 Bokum Road, Essex, CT
Free, Click for More Information


May 17, 2026
NNK 250 • Warsaw, VA

Northern Neck 250 Speaker Series
The Rappahannock Indigenous Conservation & Education Center2570 Newland Road, Warsaw, VA
2:00–4:00 pm
Free, Click for More Information


May 19, 2026
Historical Society of Fort Washington • Fort Washington, PA

7:30 pm
The Clifton House473 S Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA
Click for More Information


May 21, 2026
Historical Society of Haddonfield • Haddonfield, NJ

7:00 pm
Borough Hall242 Kings Highway E, Haddonfield, NJ
Free, Click for More Information


May 27, 2026
White Horse Village • Newtown Square, PA

3:00 pm
535 Gradyville Road, Newtown Square, PA
For Residents


May 28, 2026
Christ Church • Philadelphia, PA


May 30, 2026
New Rochelle Public Library • New Rochelle, NY


June 1, 2026
Massachusetts Historical Society • Boston, MA


June 2, 2026
Athenaeum of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA

6:00 pm
219 S 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Pay What You Wish, Click to Register


June 9, 2026
Carpenter’s Hall • Philadelphia, PA



June 10, 2026
Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center • Pennsburg, PA


June 10, 2026
Harriton House • Bryn Mawr, PA



June 12, 2026
Free Library of Philadelphia • Philadelphia, PA


June 13, 2026
York County History Center • York, PA


June 14, 2026
Historic Rock Ford • Lancaster, PA

2:00–3:30 pm
Langmuir Education Room, Historic Rock Ford881 Rockford Road, Lancaster, PA
Ticket $5–10, Click to Register


June 17, 2026
Willard Library • Battle Creek, MI

6:00 pm
7 West Van Buren Street, Battle Creek, MI
Check Back for More Information


June 20, 2026
Shenandoah County Historical Society • Woodstock, VA

All Day
Shenandoah County Celebrates 1776!
103 North Main Street, Woodstock, VA


June 22, 2026
American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia • Fort Washington, PA

7:00 pm
MaGerk’s582 S Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, PA
Click for More Information


June 23, 2026
Boylston Public Library • Boylston, MA


June 24, 2026
Boston Public Library • Boston, MA

Central Library Author Talk Series
6:00–7:30 pm
Central Library in Copley Square700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Free, Click to Register


June 25, 2026
Acton Memorial Library • Acton, MA

6:00 pm
486 Main Street, Acton, MA
Check Back for More Information


June 29, 2026
The Philadelphian • Philadelphia, PA

7:30 pm
2401 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
For Residents


July 2, 2026
Reddit AskHistorians • Virtual


July 8, 2026
St. David’s Episcopal Church • Wayne, PA

7:00 pm
St. David’s Episcopal Church763 S Valley Forge Road, Wayne, PA
Free


July 9, 2026
George Washington Presidential Library • Mount Vernon, VA

Ford Evening Book Talk
7:00 pm
George Washington Presidential Library3600 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA
Click for More Information


July 13, 2026
Hatfield250 • Hatfield, PA


July 19, 2026
Morven Museum & Garden • Princeton, NJ

2:00 pm
Morven Museum & Garden55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ


July 23, 2026
Chester County Library • Exton, PA


July 27, 2026
William & Mary • Williamsburg, VA



July 28, 2026
National Archives • Washington, D.C.


August 13, 2026
New Castle Court House Museum • New Castle, DE



September 2, 2026
Northeast Philadelphia History Network • Philadelphia, PA

7:00 pm
Pennepack Baptist Meetinghouse8732 Krewstown Road, Philadelphia, PA


November 20, 2026
Museum of the American Revolution • Philadelphia, PA


December 3, 2026
American Philosophical Society • Philadelphia, PA

12:00–1:00 pm
Benjamin Franklin Hall427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free, Click to Register

Schedule a Speaking Event

$20.99 + shipping (30% off!) when you use code AAFLYG6
Offer only available through when ordering through OUP website

Support local bookstores!

Available April 15 in the U.S.
and July 16 everywhere

Publishing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators.

As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, When the Declaration of Independence Was News offers the perfect opportunity to reconsider our origins. Emily Sneff reminds us that the nation’s beginning was contested, debated, and squabbled over from the start. Thoughtfully written, full of colorful personalities, and teeming with ground-breaking scholarly research, Sneff achieves something rare—she brings new life to an old story. A must-read for anyone interested in the Founding Era
— Lindsay Chervinsky, The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
How did it feel to experience the Declaration’s epic rollout in real time? Moving through diverse audiences and navigating dense archives, Emily Sneff reimagines the pivotal moment in a clear and compelling narrative. She shows how early Americans encountered and interacted with new ideas of liberty, identity, and rights. Declaring independence, as Sneff illustrates, was a complex cultural process that defined the emerging nation’s realm of political participation.
— Sara Georgini, author of Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family
In Emily Sneff’s fascinating history, readers will find themselves transported back in time to 1776, when Congress voting on the Declaration of Independence was a current event and the future of the new United States of America was both unknown and unsure. Sneff’s timely, lively book will change the way you think about the history of the American Revolution and its most famous founding document.
— Zara Anishanslin, University of Delaware

An enjoyable, behind-the-scenes account of an iconic American document” Kirkus Reviews