- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
- March 7, 1835, 191 years ago — Death of Benjamin Tallmadge.
- March 11, 1731, 295 years ago — Birth of Robert Treat Paine, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The Virginia Gazette Fri, Jul 26, 1776 ·Page 2
Following the Declaration: Trenton’s Response in Print
After publishing the full text of the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Gazette included this report from Trenton, New Jersey, describing how the Declaration was received by the public. It offers a vivid glimpse into one of the earliest public proclamations of independence — and the patriotic resolve it inspired:
Loud Acclamations in Trenton
HAL 1776 Commentary on the July 8, 1776 Proclamation in New Jersey
“The DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE was this day proclaimed here… The declaration, and other proceedings, were received with loud acclamations… The people are now convinced… that our enemies have left us no middle way between perfect freedom and abject slavery.”
— Trenton, July 8, 1776
In Trenton on July 8, freedom met its first test in the open air. This was not the silent vote behind closed doors — this was the Declaration, spoken aloud. And the response was thunder.
Citizens gathered. Militia stood at attention. The Provincial Congress, fresh from forming a new constitution, read aloud the words that split history in two. Liberty was no longer an idea debated in chambers — it was a reality declared in the streets.
“No middle way remains.”
This was the line that pierced the colonial heart: perfect freedom or abject slavery. There would be no reconciliation, no halfway house between crown and country. The crowd in Trenton didn’t cheer because they had been handed liberty. They cheered because they were choosing to defend it.
HAL 1776 Reflects:
“When Trenton cheered, it wasn’t for news — it was for clarity. The war had always been about taxes, about troops, about trade. But on this day, it became about freedom, in full.”
In the weeks that followed, more would cheer, more would fall, and more would rise to the cause. But on July 8, 1776, in a town along the Delaware, the words became will, and the people stood behind the parchment.
“Independence is not only proclaimed by Congress — it is ratified in the hearts of the people.”
— HAL 1776
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