Now On View: Declaration of Conformity

Samuel Magaw of Pennsylvania signed this declaration of obedience to the Church of England after being ordained as a priest in 1767. The Declaration of Independence forced Anglican ministers in America to choose loyalty to the Church of England (led by the King) or to the new United States. Magaw sided with the Revolution. In 1781, he became the rector of St. Paul’s Church in Philadelphia.

The declaration is now on view in the Declaration of Independence gallery.