Harvard University
1776 at Harvard
From training the leaders of the burgeoning nation to housing soldiers during the American Revolution, Harvard played an important role in early America.
in New England,” William Burgis, 1726.
Harvard’s original copy
Harvard’s Dunlap broadside copy of the original Declaration of Independence is held at Houghton Library. On July 6, 1776, John Hancock sent this copy to General Artemas Ward, commander of the Continental Army in Boston
Alumni signers
Alongside John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, five other Harvard alumni were among the 56 delegates at the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Learn more about the signers at the Declaration Resources Project
William Ellery
William Ellery graduated from Harvard College in 1747. Practicing as a lawyer at the time of the Continental Congress, he was described as “somewhat cynical in his temper, but a faithful friend to the liberties of his country.”
Robert Treat Paine
Robert Treat Paine graduated from Harvard College in 1749 and began practicing law in 1755. Paine’s involvement in provincial politics began in 1770 when the town of Boston asked him to assist in the prosecution of the Boston Massacre trials.
William Hooper
William Hooper graduated from Harvard College in 1760. His father hoped he would pursue a career in the clergy, but Hooper decided to go into law instead. At the Continental Congress Hooper was described as “a sensible sprightly young lawyer and a rapid but correct speaker.”
Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry graduated from Harvard College in 1762, and received a master’s degree in 1765. His dissertation argued that the colonies should resist the recently passed Stamp Act.
William Williams
William Williams graduated from Harvard College in 1751. He served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and was active in the protests that preceded the American Revolution.
George Washington’s honorary degree
On April 3, 1776 Harvard President Samuel Langdon and the fellows of the College voted to award General George Washington an honorary doctoral degree. Washington’s diploma is currently in the Library of Congress, but a reproduction is part of the Harvard University Archives’ collections.
Listen to Harvard President Alan Garber read the honorary degree.
Revolutionary maps
Part of the collection at Harvard’s Houghton Library is a Revolutionary-era map drawn in October 1775 by British lieutenant Richard Williams while he was stationed in Boston. The map captures a pivotal moment in the early American Revolution, showing a city almost completely surrounded by water, connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land, and transformed by military occupation.