New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan has unveiled a video of Granite State political leaders reciting the Declaration of Independence as part of the state’s participation at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.
“The goal of the video is meant to be just a snapshot in history,” Scanlan said. “It’s a snapshot of the people that have been involved in our citizen government, and it’ll be a neat thing just to save for future generations so that 50 years from now at the tricentennial, they can pull this out and take a look at it.”
The video features 50 speakers, including every living New Hampshire governor, members of the congressional delegation, state legislative leaders, former Secretary of State Bill Gardner, Kid Governor Liv Crete-Sayer, and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
New Hampshire is the only New England State to be participating in the fair. Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have declined to send representatives from state agencies. The Great American State Fair is June 25 to July 10 at the National Mall.
“This office is a nonpartisan office, and we work really hard to keep it that way. I think that’s reflected in the video,” Scanlan said. “So we’re going to Washington, D.C. in that spirit to showcase New Hampshire and share with the rest of the country the celebration of 250 years as a free nation. It’s as simple as that.”
Each state and territory will have a booth at the fair. New Hampshire’s booth will have a presentation, a display showing historic documents and the role of Granite Staters who signed the Declaration of Independence, and the video of state political figures reading the declaration.
New Hampshire will also be hosting its own events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, there will be a parade in Concord and an event on the State House front lawn. Additionally, the State House will remain open on July 4 so visitors can see the historic copies of the Declaration on display in the State House.
“We’re extremely excited to have these documents here in the building,” said Virginia Drew, director of the State House Visitor Center.
The visitor center is displaying an original 1776 Dunlap Broadside and an 1823 Stone engraving copy of the Declaration of Independence. The Dunlap Broadside, which was printed and delivered to the colonies on July 4, 1776, is on loan from the American Independence Center in Exeter. The Stone engraving, which was made to preserve the fading original document, was found by former Secretary of State Bill Gardner in the eaves in the State House during the late 1970s, Drew said.
“They had it authenticated and realized we had a treasure of our own, our national treasure,” she said.
The documents will be on display at the State House through July 10.
