The Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area (CCHA) invites residents, organizations, businesses, community groups, and historic sites throughout the City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to participate in Sharing the Spirit of America, a region-wide public reading of the Declaration of Independence on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. EDT. The initiative seeks to establish 25 or more simultaneous reading locations across the region, recreating the moment when Americans first heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud 250 years ago. We invite partners and residents across the City and County to join together in commemorating the moment when the American public first heard the nation’s foundational principles of equality, self-governance, and unalienable rights.
This is a grassroots event, and everyone is welcome to participate! For more information, to register your reading site, and to download the reading copy of the Declaration of Independence visit: https://www.chesapeakecrossroads.org/250th/spirit-of-america/
How to Participate:
- Select your location for a public outdoor reading of the Declaration of Independence at 6:00 p.m. on July 8, 2026.
- Readings may take place anywhere: a historic site, park, library, street corner, front porch, business, community gathering space, or even a local pub.
- Gather 3, 13, 25, or even 250 participants.
- Register your reading location with Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area
- Download and print out the official reading copy of the Declaration of Independence.
- At 6:00 p.m. on July 8, join fellow participants across the region in reading the Declaration aloud.
A complete list and map of participating locations will be available online (Link Pending). Community members who do not wish to organize their own reading are encouraged to attend a nearby event. Participants are also encouraged to livestream or record their readings and share them on social media using the hashtags:
#Annapolis250 #MD250 #DeclarationOfIndependence #SharingTheSpiritOfAmerica #America250
On July 8, 1776, Colonel John Nixon delivered the first public reading of the Declaration in the State House Yard—now Independence Square—in Philadelphia. For many colonists, it was the first time they heard the revolutionary promises of equality, unalienable rights, and self-governance that would become the foundation of a new nation. In an era when many people could not easily access newspapers or read for themselves, public readings served as a vital means of communicating these transformative ideas.
Today, 250 years later, CCHA is encouraging communities throughout Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to gather friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family members to commemorate this historic moment through a collective public reading.
As organizations and individuals register their reading locations, CCHA will add them to an interactive public map so participants can find a reading near them or join an existing gathering. Partners supporting this effort include Annapolis 250 Commission, MD Two-Fifty, Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, Annapolis Downtown Partnership, the City of Annapolis, and many others!