Printing the Declaration of Independence
Colonial printers held a rare position in the history of American printing. Printers in Great Britain had a legal monopoly on most printed material, such as the English-language Bible, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and all maps. American printers were limited to producing newspapers, almanacs, sermons, addresses, pamphlets, primers and other lesser items.Most colonial printers had additional businesses. They ran book stores, dry-goods stores and some were postmasters as well. Printers were editors, publishers, and distributors who wore
