ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
BIOGRAPHIES
Blumenthal, Karen , McCartney, Jen

Revolutionary Mary: The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America's Fight for Freedom

40 pp. | Roaring Brook | February, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781626723115 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9781626723122 $11.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. A little-known fact is that the ­Declaration of Independence, or the “Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,” signed by fifty-six men and distributed to the thirteen states in 1777, also carried a woman’s name. It was Baltimore printer, publisher, and postmaster Mary Katharine Goddard (1738–1816) who printed the broadside, risking treason charges for her belief in an independent United States. Goddard routinely published news supporting the revolution and put her initials and last name on each paper: “Published by M. K. GODDARD.” It took great courage, and on one occasion a British loyalist “burst into her office to hurl insults, ugly language, and threats,” but ­Goddard stood her ground. When, in 1777, the Continental Congress voted to send a copy of the Declaration to each of the thirteen states, ­Goddard was asked to print it as a one-page broadside. “She carefully converted the scrawled names into clear type,” and this time she proudly added her full name. Baddeley’s mixed-media illustrations bring home Goddard’s determination and resolve. The backgrounds in some illustrations incorporate expressive language -- “Pound! Pound! Pound!” “Crank, Whoosh!” -- to remind us of the sheer strength required to operate a printing press. Detailed back matter provides more information about Goddard (including that she was an enslaver), the Declaration of Independence, and printing and publishing in Colonial times; also appended with a brief bibliography.
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

RELATED 

BIOGRAPHIES

Saving American Beach
by King, Heidi Tyline
BIOGRAPHIES

Violet and Daisy
by Miller, Sarah
BIOGRAPHIES

Notes from a Young Black Chef
by , Onwuachi, Kwame & Stein, Joshua David
BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Fauci
by Messner, Kate
BIOGRAPHIES

Indelible Ann
by Browne, Meghan P.
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?