50 New Hampshire Leaders Join Video Reading Of The Declaration Of Independence For The 250th

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

CONCORD, NH — To celebrate America's 250th, a 10-minute video has just been produced featuring 50 present and former state leaders in a ceremonial reading the Declaration of Independence.

It was unveiled at a press conference Wednesday at the Secretary of State's Office and can be seen here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCd-UMcMNIo

Michael O'Meara of Concord Community Television worked with officials of the Secretary of State's office to produce the video free of charge over the past three months.

"This was a really fun project," said Secretary of State David Scanlan. "...what we have prepared for you is a reading of the Declaration of Independence by a lot of political leaders. There are 50 participants in the video doing a commemorative reading. Everyone who was asked said 'yes'. It's a nonpartisan effort," he noted.

All living former governors and Gov. Kelly Ayotte, one kid governor, all current members of the state's Congressional Delegation, three former ambassadors, those who witnessed the bicentennial and those who will likely be alive for the nation's tricentennial including several young state Representatives who were elected at age 18 are participants in the reading of the document which spells out all the problems that the people of this country were having with British rule and why they needed to form a separate nation.

"It is a snapshot of history and it will be something that can be saved for generations," Scanlan said, and perhaps referred to for the 300th.

Included in the reading are also a few non-political figures including New Hampshire filmmaker Ken Burns and the longest serving town clerk and former Secretary of State William Gardner who served in that role during the bicentennial.

Each passage read was chosen for the particular individual and have in some cases language that references their job or station, Scanlan noted.

Visitors to the New Hampshire State House Visitor Center will have the opportunity to view video along with New Hampshire’s 1776 Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence and an 1823 William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration.

The Dunlap Broadside is now on display through July 8, while the Stone engraving will remain on display through July 10.

“New Hampshire has played a proud role in shaping our nation’s history — from being the first colony to rebel against British rule with the Pine Tree Riot, to adopting the first state constitution, to our First in the Nation Primary,” said Gov. Ayotte. “I’m excited that Granite Staters and people visiting our state during the celebration of America 250 will have the opportunity to view these historic documents and that we will also play a part in the celebration in our nation’s capital. As we honor our nation this Independence Day, I invite everyone to come catch a glimpse of history at the State House.”

O'Meara said he is sharing the video with other community access television channels which include about 20 in New Hampshire. He said it was a pleasure to work on the project.

Scanlan said some leaders in the project were willing to rearrange their schedules to be featured and all were shot in New Hampshire.

The video will be looping at the New Hampshire booth on the Nation's Mall in Washington, D.C. beginning Thursday and through the Fourth of July as part of the Great American State Fair which is headlined by Republican President Donald Trump https://www.nationalmall250.org/

New Hampshire decided to participate in the event although several states including Vermont have decided to not send official participation to the mall. Still, all states will have a booth.

Scanlan said those states that opted out made that call based on political reasons and that he tries to keep the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office apolitical in its actions.

He said the New Hampshire booth on the mall will also include a display on the state's First in the Nation Primary history and he plans to attend one or two of the days during the Fair.

Scanlan told reporters Wednesday that the state is also very lucky to have documents to display in the State House Visitors Center which will be open all day on July 4 and other days. They are available for viewing now.

Following the Continental Congress’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap produced approximately 200 broadsides—single-sheet printed copies of the document—for distribution throughout the colonies. One of these rare copies arrived in New Hampshire on July 16, 1776, where it was read aloud to citizens and reprinted in local newspapers. The document is believed to have passed through the hands of Meshech Weare, New Hampshire’s first president.

Today, the State of New Hampshire, through the New Hampshire State Archives, shares custody of the Dunlap Broadside with the American Independence Center in Exeter.

Also on display is an 1823 engraving created by William J. Stone. Commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the engraving was produced to preserve the text and appearance of the Declaration of Independence for future generations. Stone’s work is widely regarded as the most detailed and accurate facsimile of the original Declaration and has served as the basis for many reproductions since its creation.

“New Hampshire’s revolutionary spirit runs deep and there’s no better way to mark the nation’s semi quincentennial than by exhibiting some of the most precious foundational documents among the millions in the State Archives,” said Scanlan. “Given New Hampshire’s primary role in the cause for independence, we’re pleased to share them with Granite Staters.”

New Hampshire’s second Stone Copy of the Declaration of Independence, which is part of the NH State Library’s collection will be on display in the U.S. Department of State’s Harry S. Truman Building as part of the National Museum of American Diplomacy's “Among the Powers of the Earth” exhibition that runs through July 2027.

“New Hampshire’s delegates were among the very first to sign the Declaration of Independence, and our state is home to the first state library in the country, which was established in 1717 – nearly 60 years before the Declaration of Independence itself was issued,” said Adam Crepeau, acting commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

“The Stone Copy that was distributed to celebrate the United States’ 50th anniversary is one of nearly 500,000 items in the State Library’s collection today and is a breathtaking reminder of our country’s founding. We are honored that it, along with our shared ideals of liberty and self-determination, will be shared with visitors to Washington, D.C. as part of the country’s 250th celebration.”

Earlier today, New Hampshire Secretary of State Scanlan released a video celebrating America’s 250th birthday, titled “New Hampshire Sestercentennial: A Special Reading of the Declaration of Independence”. The video features former and current state officials, as well as other notable Granite Staters, reading the Declaration of Independence.

“We have unprecedented access to our government in the Granite State, and we’re fortunate to be able to capture all living Governors, among other officials, reading one of our precious foundational documents,” said Scanlan. “We hope this video will be cherished by generations to come and a historical record Granite Staters can watch fifty years from now during America’s 300th birthday.”

The video was produced in collaboration with Concord TV and is available on the Secretary of State’s website and public access channels throughout the state. It will also be played at New Hampshire’s State House Visitor’s Center and at the Great American State Fair 2026 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from June 25 to July 10, 2026.

250th Celebrations

The New Hampshire 250th Commission will hold the State of NH’s official celebration on the State House lawn at 10 a.m. on July 4th. The State House will then open its doors to the public at 11 a.m.

Visitors to the New Hampshire State House Visitor Center can view New Hampshire’s 1776 Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence and an 1823 William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration. The Dunlap Broadside, one of 26 copies known to exist, is on display now through July 8, while the Stone engraving will remain on display through July 10.

“From the Pine Tree Riot to the First in the Nation Primary, New Hampshire has played a key role in shaping the history of our country,” said Governor Kelly Ayotte. “As we celebrate America 250, I’m proud to see Granite Staters and visitors to New Hampshire alike celebrating that legacy. May we always remember the enduring values of civic engagement, service, and freedom that continue to define the Granite State.”

On July 2nd, the NH Chronicle will also air an episode featuring some of the most famous foundational documents housed in the State Archives, which falls under the purview of the Secretary of State’s Office.

A full list of participants is below.

David Scanlan, Secretary of State

Gordon Macdonald, Chief Justice, NH Supreme Court

Pat Waterman, Town Clerk, Wolfeboro

Monica Mezzapelle, State Treasurer

David Wheeler, Executive Councilor

John Formella, Attorney General

Sharon Carson, Senate President

Jonathan Kipp, Moderator, Londonderry

Richard Swett, Former Ambassador to Denmark, Former Member of Congress

Janet Stevens, Executive Councilor

William Gardner, Secretary of State (1976-2022)

Liv Crete-Sayer, Kid Governor

Jeanne Shaheen, US Senator, Former Governor

John Lynch, Former Governor

Gene Chandler, Selectman, County Commissioner Former Speaker of the House

Ashley Miller, State Archivist

Sherman Packard, Speaker of the House

Alexis Simpson, NH House Democratic Leader

Mary Jane Walner, Dean of the House

Jean Jeudy, State Representative, Manchester

Mark Howard, Chief Justice, Superior Court

Ellen Christo, Chief Judge, Circuit Court

John H. Sununu, Former White House Chief of Staff, Former Governor

Jonah Wheeler, State Representative, Peterborough

Major General David Mikolaities, Adjutant General

Joe Kenney, Executive Councilor

John E. Sununu, Former US Senator, Former Member of Congress

Chris Pappas, US Congressman

Jason Osborne, NH House Majority Leader

Patty Lovejoy, Former Senior Deputy Secretary of State

Scott Brown, Former Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Former US Senator (Massachusetts)

Byron Champlin, Mayor of Concord

Jay Ruais, Mayor of Manchester

Paul Smith, House Clerk, Former State Representative

Tammy Wright, Senate Clerk

Maggie Goodlander, US Congresswoman

Judd Gregg , Former Governor, Former US Senator, Former Member of Congress

John Stephen, Executive Councilor

Rebecca Perkins-Kwoka, NH Senate Democratic Leader

Ross Berry, State Representative, Weare, Chair, Election Law Committee

Brendan O’Donnell, Deputy Secretary of State

Chris Sununu, Former Governor

Craig Benson, Former Governor

Karen Liot-Hill, Executive Councilor

Valerie McDonnell, State Representative, Salem

Regina Birdsell, NH Senate Majority Leader

Terry Shumaker, Former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago

Ken Burns, Filmmaker

Maggie Hassan, US Senator, Former Governor

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.