Celebrate 250 Years of American Independence!
Exhibit Now on Display at the Huntington Public Library Main Branch
Welcome
July 4, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; officially proclaiming the Thirteen Colonies as free and independent states from the British Empire.
This exhibit series explores that pivotal chapter in history while celebrating Huntington, New York’s distinctive place in the American story, connecting our town’s past to the nation’s enduring journey toward freedom.
Created by John N. Daniello for Huntington Public Library, this exhibit invites you to explore our local history through a bi-monthly panel series on display from January through July 2026.
This online companion allows you to dive even deeper into the exhibit with added details, stories and discoveries.
King James I granted charters to colonize the east coast of North America in 1606. The following year, The Colony of Virginia became the first settled colony on the continent.
Between 1625 and 1775, the colonial population grew dramatically, from just two thousand settlers to more than 2.4 million. Though under British rule, the colonies had self-governance and elections.
As English settlement expanded, the colonies were organized into regional groups based on geography.
New England Colonies
- Massachusetts (1691)
- New Hampshire (1629)
- Connecticut (1636)
- Rhode Island (1663)
Middle Colonies
- Delaware (1664)
- New York (1664)
- New Jersey (1664)
- Pennsylvania (1681)
Southern Colonies
- Virginia (1607)
- Maryland (1632)
- North Carolina (1729)
- South Carolina (1729)
- Georgia (1732)
After the French and Indian War, Britain was left with heavy debts and looked to the Thirteen Colonies to pay them. Beginning in 1764, Parliament imposed a series of taxes on the colonies.
Many colonists protested, arguing that since the colonies were not represented in Parliament, they had no right to tax them. Their rallying cry, “No taxation without representation,” led many to question whether Parliament held any authority over the colonies at all.
In defiance, colonists elected Provincial Congresses and organized boycotts of British goods.
The Sugar Act
Passed in 1764, after the Molasses Act of 1733 expired, the Sugar Act taxed imported goods like sugar, wine, and coffee, and tightened enforcement of molasses duties.
The Currency Act
Also in 1764, Parliament passed the Currency Act, which banned the American colonies from printing their own paper money, forcing debts to be paid in gold or silver.
The Stamp Act
In 1765, Parliament imposed a tax on all paper goods in the colonies, including legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards. The tax had to be paid in British currency, not in colonial money.
The Townshend Acts
A series of taxes placed on the colonies between 1767-1768. These taxed imported goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea to raise revenue for Britain and assert control over the colonies.
1773
The Sons of Liberty board the Dartmouth, a merchant boat carrying a shipment of tea from the East India Company and throw chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party, as it became known, is seen as an act of treason by the British government.
Nine days later, Patriots force the merchant boat, Polly, to return to England without unloading her cargo during the Philadelphia Tea Party.
1774
British Parliament passes the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws to punish Massachusetts and tighten British control over the colony.
Under General Thomas Gage, thousands of British troops are stationed in Boston to enforce the acts and protect royal officials.
September: Massachusetts creates The Suffolk Resolves, a declaration denouncing the Intolerable Acts, which was endorsed by the First Continental Congress. Patriots form local militias to train for retaliation. In response, the British government declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
1775
April 18: British troops march out of Boston under the cover of night to destroy Patriot military supplies stored in Concord. However, leaders received word of the plan earlier and moved most of the supplies.
April 19: Battles between British troops and Patriot militias at Lexington and Concord result in heavy casualties for the British, who retreat to Boston.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord mark the official start of the Revolutionary War.
1776
March 17: Under the command of newly-installed Continental Army commander, George Washington, the British Army is held in Boston.
After a year of raids, conflicts, and being cut off from supplies, the British leave Boston by sea to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Anticipating General Howe’s next target would be New York, Washington sends 19,000 American soldiers to fortify Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights, which included the construction of Fort Stirling, Fort Putnam, Fort Greene, Fort Box, and Fort Defiance.
“Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose; and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Amid growing support for independence throughout the colonies, and strengthened by Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 1776 to move toward breaking from Britain.
In June they appointed five members to draft and present the Declaration.
The Committee of Five consisted of John Adams (Massachusetts), Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Robert R. Livingston (New York), and Roger Sherman (Connecticut).
Jefferson was selected to write the original draft, and completed it in seventeen days, between June 11 and June 28.
The committee presented the draft to Congress on June 28, and over the next two days, delegates revised and refined Jefferson’s text.
Known for his excellent penmanship, American politician, Timothy Matlack, was selected to inscribe the Declaration on vellum (animal skin).
On July 2, 1776, Congress approved the Lee Resolution, declaring Britain no longer held authority over the Thirteen Colonies.
Two days later, it adopted the Declaration of Independence. Formally titled, The Unanimous Declaration of The Thirteen United States of America, the document provides twenty-seven grievances against the king and affirms the colonies’ natural and legal rights.
Additionally, the Declaration identified colonists as “one people”, and referred to the colonies as “United States”.
The Declaration was ratified and signed on July 4, 1776 by John Hancock, President of the Congress. By signing the Declaration, the delegates knowingly committed treason against the Crown, an act punishable by torture and death.
The signatures of fifty-six delegates, grouped by state from North to South, are listed at the bottom of the Declaration. These delegates became known as the nation’s Founding Fathers.
As President of the Congress, Hancock’s prominent signature is centered below the text. After signing, Hancock reportedly stated, “There! I guess King George will be able to read that!”
A Date in Question
The date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence remains a topic of debate.
Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams wrote that the Declaration was signed by Congress on July 4, 1776 – the date it was approved.
Historians now believe the signing occurred on August 2, 1776.
The Town of Huntington was formed through a series of land purchases from the Matinecock people.
The First Purchase
On April 2, 1653, three settlers from Oyster Bay; Richard Holbrook, Robert Williams, and Daniel Whitehead, acquired six square miles between Cold Spring Harbor and Northport Harbor. Payment for this land included six coats, six kettles, six hatchets, six shirts, ten knives, and thirty needles.
Second Purchase
In 1656, Huntington expanded east to the Nissequogue River. Later additions, including Lloyd Neck in the 1880s, further grew the town. In 1872, its southern portion separated to form the Town of Babylon.
Two years before the Declaration of Independence, the town of Huntington, New York adopted its own Declaration of Rights in defiance of British authority.
Passed on June 21, 1774, in response to Parliament’s Intolerable Acts, and months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord, it stands as an early step toward colonial self-governance.
The principles in the Huntington Declaration mirror those later found in the Declaration of Independence, including rejecting parliamentary taxation and calling for united colonial boycotts of British goods until the acts were repealed.
1st That every freeman's property is absolutely his own, and no man has a right to take it from him without his consent, expressed either by himself or his representatives.
2nd That therefore all taxes and duties imposed on His Majesties subjects in the American colonies by the authority of Parliament are wholly unconstitutional and a plain violation of the most essential rights of British subjects.
3rd That the act of Parliament lately passed for shutting up the port of Boston, or any other means or device under color of law, to compel them or any other of His Majesty's American subjects to submit to Parliamentary taxation are subversive of their just and constitutional liberty.
4th That we are of opinion that our brethren of Boston are now suffering in the common cause of British America.
5th That therefore it is the indispensable duty of all colonies to unite in some effectual measures for the repeal of said act and every other act of Parliament whereby they are taxed for raising a revenue.
6th That it is the opinion of this meeting that the most effectual means for obtaining a speedy repeal of said acts will be to break off all commercial intercourse with Great Britain, Ireland and the English West India colonies.
7th And we hereby declare ourselves ready to enter into these or such other measures as shall be agreed upon by a general congress of all the colonies: and we recommend to the general congress to take such measures as shall be most effectual (sic) to prevent such goods as are at present in America from being raised to an extravagant price.
And lastly we appoint Colonel Platt Conkling, John Sloss Hobart Esq. and Thomas Wickes a committee for this town, to act in conjunction with the committee of the other town in the county, as a general committee for the county, to correspond with the committee of New York.
The first to take place after the Colonies declared independence from the British, The Battle of Long Island was the largest battle of the Revolutionary War.*
In July 1776, the first British troops landed on Staten Island, and awaited reinforcements. By August, their forces grew to over 400 ships, including 73 warships and 32,000 British and Hessian (German soldiers) troops.
July 9: At the direction of John Hancock, Washington had the Declaration of Independence read to his army in New York City.
Believing a British attack on Long Island would merely serve as a diversion for a strategic attack on Manhattan, Washington sent just 4,500 soldiers to Long Island.
August 22: 15,000 British troops landed at Gravesend Bay (Brooklyn). Washington, who was informed only 9,000 troops came ashore, responded by sending 1,500 additional soldiers to Brooklyn, bringing the American total to 6,000.
August 27: Under the cover of night, 10,000 additional British troops moved through the poorly guarded Jamaica Pass. By dawn, British and Hessian forces had the American soldiers surrounded, inflicting heavy causalities. Washington sent reinforcements, but by afternoon the surviving Americans had retreated to Brooklyn Heights.
On the evening of August 29, Washington discreetly evacuated his 9,000 soldiers and supplies across the East River to Manhattan. Howe went on to defeat Washington again in battles at White Plains (Oct. 28, 1776) and Fort Washington (Nov. 16, 1776).
Following Washington’s withdrawal, the British took control of Long Island and then New York City, turning the city into their base in North America throughout the Revolutionary War.
*The Battle of Long Island was the largest battle in terms of number of troops.
Huntington Creates The Liberty Flag
Formal public readings of the Declaration of Independence took place across the colonies after it was adopted by The Continental Congress.
On July 22, 1776, townspeople gathered on the Village Green in Huntington to hear the Declaration of Independence, lowered their official British flag (The British Red Ensign), tore off the Union Jack and the name “George III,” leaving a plain red flag bearing the word “LIBERTY.”
The Huntington Liberty Flag was carried into the Battle of Long Island by the 1st Regiment of the Suffolk County Militia. It was captured by Hessian troops and eventually ended up in a German museum, where it remained until the museum was bombed during World War II.
Washington Crosses The Delaware
On the night of December 25-26, 1776, Washington led 2,400 soldiers across the icy Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey in a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton. The victory at Trenton, followed by further successes at Second Trenton and Princeton, revitalized Patriot morale and spurred soldiers to reenlist, giving new life to the revolutionary cause.
After defeating the American army, British forces advanced east across Long Island, occupying towns and placing them under martial law. They reached Huntington on September 1, 1776 and remained in control of the town until November 25, 1783.
In Huntington, they set up a headquarters and turned local farms into supply depots, using the town’s food, livestock, timber, and transport animals to sustain the army stationed in Manhattan. Residents were pressured to swear loyalty to the Crown, and even allow British officers to take residence in their homes. Those who refused risked losing their property and being forced off their land.
Due to their close proximity to the British, Huntington residents were often suspected of spying, and lived under constant scrutiny and harassment from troops.
The Arsenal, as it is now known, sits adjacent to Huntington Green, the site of the British headquarters and camp during their occupation of Long Island. Originally the home of local weaver Job Sammis, the building earned its name because Sammis hid stores of gunpowder, armaments, and military equipment there during the occupation.
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
-Nathan Hale
Born in Coventry, Connecticut, Nathan Hale graduated from Yale in 1773, became a schoolteacher, and later joined the Connecticut militia and then the Continental Army as an officer.
In 1776, when Washington needed intelligence on British forces in New York, Hale volunteered to go behind enemy lines as a spy.
He crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut, landing near Huntington around September 12–15, 1776. Over the following days, he gathered notes on British forts and troop movements but was ultimately betrayed and exposed as a spy.
Hale openly admitted his role as an officer. On the morning of September 22, he was hanged in Manhattan without trial.
Discover How Huntington Shaped America’s Story!
The exhibit continues May 2026
(Bookmark this page to see how the story unfolds)
About the Designer
John N. Daniello
John Daniello is a graphic designer, writer, podcaster, and co-founder of History Repeatn’ & History Straight Up.
With more than 17 years of experience, John has created work for brands including Samsung, DOW, and Con Edison, as well as for small businesses and non-profits.
John’s passion for history and storytelling led him into the world of exhibit design, where he has produced several projects, including PRIDE! Our Story, which explores the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in America, and Shorelines & Speakeasies, an in-depth look at Long Island’s Prohibition-era past.
He also hosts and produces History Straight Up, a weekly podcast which tells the stories behind history’s most iconic drinks.
Beyond design, John is a dedicated writer. His work includes short stories, a novel currently in development, and he also contributes articles as a freelance journalist for the North Shore News Group.
To learn more about John and his work, click here.
The Exhibit Continues March 2nd!
The next installment of the series will be available at the library and online in just a few days.
During this transition, some items may not function properly. We appreciate your patience while we wrap things up.