The Declaration of Independence

The only touring print of the Declaration of Independence that dates to July 4, 1776 will also be included in the America I AM exhibition. This print of the Declaration - a "broadside" sheet printed in Philadelphia only hours after Thomas Jefferson was finished drafting the language - will be displayed at the California Science Center from October 29, 2009 until January 18, 2010.

This print is one of only 26 known to exist. It was found in 1989 in the back of a picture frame bought for $4 at a Pennsylvania flea market. It was purchased by noted television producer Norman Lear and his wife, Lyn, for $8.1 million in 2000, with the goal of bringing "the people's document" directly to the American people. America I AM has partnered with Lear's youth voter registration organization, Declare Yourself, to include the document in the exhibit. Other new additions to the Los Angeles presentation include items from Magic Johnson, Michael Jackson, Jesse Owens, NASA astronauts and more.