Declaration of Independence makes rare showing at NYC library

July 2 (UPI) -- A rare copy of the United States Declaration of Independence has been put on scarce public display in New York City, ahead of the United States' 243rd birthday.

The copy -- an original manuscript of the declaration handwritten in 1776 by Founding Father and former President Thomas Jefferson -- made its debut at the New York Public Library in Manhattan Monday. The public had another chance to view the historic document Tuesday at Gottesman Hall.

"The Declaration of Independence is one of the two great documents of the human intellect and has formed the foundation of democratic movements for more than a century," the New York Public Library said.

The document was completed on July 1, 1776, but underwent multiple changes before it was signed three days later.

"A lengthy condemnation of the slave trade was removed, for example -- an excision intended to appease delegates from Georgia and South Carolina," the library noted. "In the days after July 4, a distressed Jefferson wrote out several fair copies of his original text and sent them to five or six friends. The Library's copy is one of four copies that have survived."

The New York library acquired the copy in 1896 when trustee John S. Kennedy donated it and other items. Apart from Monday and Tuesday, it's typically held in the library's manuscript and archives division.