Editor's note on July 8, 2022: This story quotes the U.S. Declaration of Independence — a document that contains offensive language about Native Americans, including a racial slur.
Thirty years ago, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: familiar NPR voices reading the Declaration of Independence.
Below is the draft of the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress 242 years ago in Philadelphia. It is read by NPR staff members in the accompanying audio.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

1 of 32
— Steve Inskeep
Doby Photography / NPR

2 of 32
— Rachel Martin
Stephen Voss / NPR

3 of 32
— David Greene
David Gilkey / NPR

4 of 32
— Noel King
Sandy Honig / NPR

5 of 32
— Don Gonyea
Doby Photography / NPR

6 of 32
— Deborah Amos
/ Steve Barrett

7 of 32
— Joe Palca
Doby Photography / NPR

8 of 32
— Audie Cornish 2010
Doby Photography / NPR

9 of 32
— Shankar Vedantam
Gary Knight / VII

10 of 32
— Lulu Garcia-Navarro 2017 square
Stephen Voss / NPR

11 of 32
— Sylvia Poggioli
Kainaz Amaria / NPR

12 of 32
— Langfitt
/ Steve Barrett

13 of 32
— Cheryl Corley
Steve Barrett / NPR

14 of 32
— Nina Totenberg
Steve Barrett / NPR

15 of 32
— Headshot of Scott Detrow, 2018
Stephen Voss / NPR

16 of 32
— Tell Me More is an NPR news-talk program, hosted by award-winning journalist Michel Martin.
/ Stephen Voss

17 of 32
— Ayesha Rascoe at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 22, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Allison Shelley / NPR

18 of 32
— Ofeibea Quist-Arcton
/ Jacques Coughlin

19 of 32
— Mary Louise Kelly 2010
Doby Photography / NPR

20 of 32
— Ailsa Chang
/ Mike Morgan/NPR

21 of 32
— Linda Wertheimer
/ Steve Barrett

22 of 32
— Debbie Elliot 2010
Christy Haynes / NPR

23 of 32
— Anthony Kuhn
Wang Zemin / Wang Zemin

24 of 32
— Gene Demby 2013
Kainaz Amaria / NPR

25 of 32
— Ari Shapiro
Doby Photography / NPR

26 of 32
— Eyder Peralta
Kainaz Amaria / NPR

27 of 32
— Susan Stamberg
Doby Photography / NPR

28 of 32
— Scott Horsley
Doby Photography / NPR

29 of 32
— Cokie Roberts
Steve Fenn / ABC, Inc.

30 of 32
— David Greene
David Gilkey / NPR

31 of 32
— Rachel Martin 2016
Stephen Voss / NPR

32 of 32
— Steve Inskeep
Doby Photography / NPR