# British copy of declaration of independence?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-copy-of-declaration-of-independence/724332>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-copy-of-declaration-of-independence/724332 "2015-07-05T18:18:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-copy-of-declaration-of-independence/724332/1 "2015-07-05T18:18:42Z")

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Was an official copy ever presented to King George? I’m imagining him lounging about in his throne room, and a messenger arrives. "Your majesty, a message from your rebellious colony. " “Which one?” “The yanks, my Lord.” “Very well, read it aloud.”

The whole declaration was a formal statement telling the British government to go pound sand. Did they ever actually get sent a signed copy, so that the Brits would know who to hang in the event that they regained control? In the Royal archives, is that copy tucked away in a file folder somewhere?

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**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-copy-of-declaration-of-independence/724332/2 "2015-07-05T18:47:08Z")

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Well someone had something to copy for this version provided for parliament in 1778:

> [@](#):
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> At this time the opposition demanded an enquiry into the state of the nation and called for papers, to reveal, amongst other things, the ineffectiveness of the Prohibitory Act as a means of restoring America to the king’s ‘peace’. These papers, which were laid before the House of Lords on 20 Jan 1778, included this copy of the American Declaration of Independence.

[http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-empire/collections1/collections/declaration-of-independence/](http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliament-and-empire/collections1/collections/declaration-of-independence/)

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-copy-of-declaration-of-independence/724332/3 "2015-07-05T19:09:07Z")

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Answered in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747097).