Matlack's Declaration: How a Philadelphia Brewer Proclaimed America's Independence

by Chris Coelho

On May 8, 1776, Philadelphia was alarmed by cannon fire. American galleys had engaged with British warships downriver. With the enemy at hand, the time had come for Congress to declare independence. But the Pennsylvania Assembly continued to oppose and block this course of action in contempt of the people’s wishes. On June 14, with the authority of Congress, Timothy Matlack and his fellow committeemen deposed a legislature that had long since refused to represent the people equally.

On July 2, 1776, Pennsylvania united with the other colonies in declaring themselves free and independent states. That same day, Congress as a whole began editing the text of a declaration of independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson and revised by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Two days later, Congress finished this work and ordered their declaration of independence to be proclaimed across the United States. Here we come to an unsolved Where and when was the Declaration first read out in public? Who was the first to stand in front of a crowd and speak those timeless opening lines? This book examines written accounts and physical evidence. Later that July, Timothy Matlack penned the famous engrossed copy, which delegates began signing in August.

With the Declaration printed, proclaimed, and signed, there was no turning back for the revolution’s leaders; their fate rested on the Continental Army. The likelihood of victory appeared dismal in December when the British Army pushed Washington’s forces to the Delaware River. Congress evacuated Philadelphia. When Washington summoned the militia to reinforce his depleted army, Timothy Matlack led his riflemen to war.

In Pennsylvania, the people adopted Timothy Matlack as their tribune. In the summer of 1776, his radical faction moved to replace the dissolved Assembly with a democratic government based on principles of self-governance and individual rights. The wealthy were not amused. Matlack’s prominent role in Pennsylvania’s Revolution earned him powerful enemies. At the end of the war, his foes planned his downfall.

168 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2024

Reviews

[Wyly OBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

In perusing the Declaration of Independence, the question came to mind: Whose beautiful handwriting is that? So, I decided to read about the man behind the ink. I was expecting some high-idealed, well-respected, Founding Father nobleman. Instead, I discovered that Timothy Matlack was just a guy - granted a jack-of-all-trades, say-yes-to-anything, wanting-better-for-his-family-and-country guy, but a guy, nonetheless. He, and so many others, were in the room, assisting, gophering, scribing, standing by for orders. He, and so many others, put hands to musket and fought for the cause. He, and so many others, scrabbled for every cent (sometimes via questionable means) just to live a respectable life while war and disease and poverty raged in the name of Freedom. Coelho provides a comprehensive look at the man with the perfect penmanship.

"Congress ordered a formal copy of the Declaration to be elegantly engrossed on parchment. Secretary Thomson assigned this job to his penman, Timothy Matlack."