America's National Document of Freedom

America’s birthday ignited with a bang over 200 years ago, and this annual commemoration continues to this day with dazzling displays of fireworks showering over the sky punctuated by the rapid artillery of firecrackers. The 4^th of July marks this nation’s freedom from the British monarchy which started with a document drafted by the forefathers of this nation.

The Declaration of Independence has preserved this nation’s freedom, established universal principles that defined the ideals supporting today’s egalitarian democracies, and inspired the pursuit of freedom and self-government worldwide. To catch a glimpse of America’s national document of freedom and witness the flamboyant John Hancock signature, check out this and other works of art with the Art Museum Image Gallery.

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select “Articles & Databases.” You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to access the databases from outside the Library.

2. Under the Categories side bar on the left, select “Art & Music” then “Art Museum Image Gallery.”

3. In the search box, enter the phrase “declaration of independence.”

4. Select any image and you will get a brief description of the art work, in which museum it is located, and subject headings and keywords under which the work is cataloged.

The Art Museum Image Gallery contains over 150,000 high quality fine and decorative art images and related multimedia from museums worldwide dating back to 3000 B.C. Images include cultures and time periods ranging from contemporary art, Native American and Inuit art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, along with Japanese and Chinese works.