The Declaration of Independence was of course authored by Thomas Jefferson, but his is not the classic handwriting on the engrossed copies familiar to most Americans. That belonged to Timothy Matlack, an early patriot who fought in the Revolution, sat as prosecutor at Benedict Arnold’s court martial, and also penned copies of a number of documents for then-General George Washington. Matlack’s script was compact but legible, perfect for the first and most famous of American documents.

Now you, too, can write that way.