The German Audience for the U.S. Declaration of Independence
Nov 20, 2025 | 7:00pm
Online Lecture on Zoom | Speaker: Emily Sneff
July 4, 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document that was translated immediately into German. Join us on November 20 at 7:00 ET for a virtual presentation by Dr. Emily Sneff, in which she explores the first broadsides and newspaper printings of the Declaration in German, the different approaches to translation in the United States and in Europe, and the importance of Philadelphia’s German printers.
This is the first of two virtual talks by Emily Sneff on German American involvement in America's founding. On February 12, Emily’s talk will highlight German American individuals who were integral to the process of declaring independence from Great Britain. Stay tuned for registration information for the February event.
These talks are being co-sponsored by the German Historical Institute-Washington, D.C., The German Society of Pennsylvania, and the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies Madison, Wisconsin.
About the Speaker
Dr. Emily Sneff is a scholar of early American history and a leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She is the consulting curator for exhibitions planned for the Semiquincentennial including The Declaration’s Journey at the Museum of the American Revolution and Window to Revolution: Pennsylvania Germans and the War for Independence at Historic Trappe. Her book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News, will be published in April 2026 with Oxford University Press.