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.
On July 4, America will celebrate 244 years since the continental congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
NPR marks the celebration with what has become a Morning Edition tradition: the annual reading of that document. Below is the original text of the Declaration of Independence, alongside photos of the NPR staff members who performed the reading.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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— Steve Inskeep
Mike Morgan / NPR
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— Rachel Martin
Mike Morgan / NPR
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— David Greene, NPR
/ Mike Morgan
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— Noel King
Mike Morgan / NPR
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— Don Gonyea
Doby Photography / NPR
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6 of 32
— Lauren Frayer
Sergey Gershkovich / NPR
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— Joe Palca
Mike Morgan / NPR
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8 of 32
— Audie Cornish
Allison Shelley / NPR
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9 of 32
— Shankar Vedantam
Douglas Sonders / NPR
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10 of 32
— Lulu Garcia-Navarro 2017 square
Stephen Voss / NPR
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11 of 32
— Sylvia Poggioli
Wanyu Zhang / NPR
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12 of 32
— Langfitt
/ Steve Barrett
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— Cheryl Corley
Allison Shelley / NPR
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— Nina Totenberg
Allison Shelley / NPR
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15 of 32
— Headshot of Scott Detrow, 2018
Stephen Voss / NPR
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16 of 32
— Michel Martin
Stephen Voss / NPR
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— Ayesha Rascoe at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 22, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Allison Shelley / NPR
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18 of 32
— Ofeibea Quist-Arcton
/ Jacques Coughlin
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— Mary Louise Kelly
Stephen Voss / NPR
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— Ailsa Chang
/ Mike Morgan/NPR
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21 of 32
— Sam Sanders
Corey Seeholzer / NPR
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— Renee Montagne
Allison Shelley / NPR
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23 of 32
— Anthony Kuhn
/ Wang Zemin
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24 of 32
— Gene Demby 2013
Kainaz Amaria / NPR
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25 of 32
— Ari Shapiro
Stephen Voss / NPR
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26 of 32
— Eyder Peralta
Kainaz Amaria / NPR
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27 of 32
— Susan Stamberg
Allison Shelley / NPR
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28 of 32
— Scott Horsley
Doby Photography / NPR
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29 of 32
— Hannah Allam
Shatha Alawsy / NPR
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30 of 32
— Emily Feng at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., March 19, 2019.
/ Allison Shelley
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31 of 32
— Franco Ordoñez
/ Wanyu Zhang
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32 of 32
— Melissa Block at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018.
/ Allison Shelley