Rare Newspaper Owned by Benjamin Franklin Unearthed at Auction Reveals "America's 238-year-old Tweet"

Teresa Neumann : Jul 7, 2014
Morgan Jacobsen – Deseret News

"It's a treasure for the world. It tells the story of the founding of America. There's a real sacrifice that went on in founding this country. I guess that's all I'm concerned about. What I'm trying to do through my collection is make those sacrifices real and the fact that it's worth the sacrifice today too." -Brent Ashworth

(Provo, UT)—Two Hundred-thirty-eight years ago, journalist Benjamin Franklin penned 12 words in his newspaper, the Philadelphia Gazette; words that first announced the news of the Declaration of Independence. (Photo by: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

It read: "Philadelphia, July 3: Yesterday the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies free and independent states."

According to a report in Deseret News, who called the historic text "America's 238-year-old tweet," only 1,000 copies of the newspaper were printed. Not only that, but Franklin's announcement was "buried under pages of classified ads looking for runaway slaves."

The newspaper was one of a few copies still in existence that was bought by collector Brent Ashworth at an auction last month. (Photo by: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Ashworth indicated the value of the newspaper means far less to him than its historical significance.

"It's a treasure for the world," he said. "It tells the story of the founding of America. There's a real sacrifice that went on in founding this country. I guess that's all I'm concerned about. What I'm trying to do through my collection is make those sacrifices real and the fact that it's worth the sacrifice today too."