The Declaration’s Journey: 250 Years of America’s Founding Document

FAIN: GE-285534-22

Museum of the American Revolution (Philadelphia, PA 19106-2818)
Philip Mead (Project Director: August 2021 to present)

Planning for a 5,000-square-foot temporary exhibition, a smaller traveling exhibit, and related public programming exploring the contested legacy of the Declaration of Independence.

The Museum of the American Revolution respectfully requests $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support planning of "The Declaration’s Journey: 250 Years of America's Founding Document," an exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, which will open at the Museum in 2025 and run through 2026. The Declaration, arguably the most famous piece of political writing in modern history, has been the subject of countless scholarly examinations and several significant exhibitions presented by esteemed institutions. The Museum’s exhibition will present the Declaration’s ongoing story in a distinct way by combining two themes from recent historical and political science scholarship and a third theme drawn from MoAR’s own scholarship that presents a uniquely interdisciplinary and object-centered approach to the history of the Declaration. The project team will use NEH funding for the planning phase of "The Declaration’s Journey" (05/2022 - 08/2023).