Connecticut's memory of the Declaration developed gradually. Signer William Williams, present in Philadelphia for the first anniversary in 1777, hated the celebrations, characterizing them as a ridiculous pomp. By 1846 a Hartford newspaper described full civic spectacle: sunrise cannon salutes, processions, brass bands, Irish fraternal organizations, and fireworks. The most enduring Connecticut contribution to the Declaration's visual memory is John Trumbull's famous painting of the document’s reception in Congress, begun in 1786 after conversations with Jefferson. Trumbull, who knew many signers and had served in the war, placed Roger Sherman prominently among the Committee of Five. Two later episodes extended the Declaration's reach. In 1841, Roger Sherman Baldwin, the signer's grandson, quoted “all men are created equal” as foundational law defending the Amistad captives before the Supreme Court. During the 1870s Centennial, the Smith Sisters of Glastonbury invoked the Declaration while protesting taxation without representation as part of the women's suffrage movement, calling themselves daughters of the Revolution.
Interviewees
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Natalie Belanger
- Public Programs Manager, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
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Katherine Hermes
- Professor Emeritus, Central Connecticut State University
- Publisher of Connecticut Explored
