250 years ago, Washington ordered the Declaration to be read aloud for the first time in NYC
The cover of the July 9, 1776 edition of Harper’s Weekly featured this etching of George Washington, on horseback, at the first reading of the Declaration of Independence at city hall in New York. Credit: www.History101.NYC_Fine Print New York/Digitally restored by Joseph A. Gornail & Steven D. Garcia
In 1776, on the grounds of what is now the New York City Hall complex, Gen. George Washington sat on horseback as his orders were carried out to read the Declaration of Independence aloud in lower Manhattan for the first time.
Later that night, 40 riled-up Colonial soldiers and sailors went to nearby Bowling Green to mutilate a statue of King George III and melt down its gold-gilded lead into munitions to attack the British.
On Friday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — a man born in a former British colony, Uganda — sat on the second floor of City Hall at Washington's desk to deliver an address marking 250 years of America. Looking west out the windows of the room where Mamdani read his speech, you can see where Washington oversaw the Declaration's reading.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
'Democrats say this is a misuse of taxpayer funds' Nassau Republicans awarded over $1 million in taxpayer-funded legal contracts to the one-man law firm of Sheharyar Ali, a longtime GOP ally. Ali's father is an adviser to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa and Newsday Nassau County politics reporter Bahar Ostadan have the story.
