The Declaration’s Journey

To mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, the Museum will present a major special exhibition exploring the history and global impact of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 to today. Opening Oct. 18, 2025, The Declaration’s Journey will showcase how, with more than 200 nations having integrated its ideals into their own independence movements, the American Declaration of Independence has become one of the most influential political documents in modern history. This visually captivating exhibition will gather together for the first time in one place some of the most important and rare documents, works of art, and artifacts from around the world that reflect the complex 250-year history and legacy of the Declaration of Independence. 

The Declaration’s Journey will be accompanied by robust public programming for a wide range of audiences, online educational resources for educators and students available to audiences across the nation and around the world, and a series produced in partnership with WHYY, Philadelphia’s PBS affiliate, to extend the exhibition’s national reach and impact.

The Museum is poised to play a leadership role in the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding in 2026. The Museum seeks to transform the nation’s relationship with its Revolutionary past by increasing awareness of the many ordinary, diverse, and little-known people who created the American nation. Through this special exhibit, digital initiatives, and educational programs, we aim to facilitate widespread conversation about the meaning of the American Declaration of Independence and its ongoing legacy.

Planning for The Declaration’s Journey exhibition has been made possible in part by the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentenial, Philip Syng Reese and The Society of the Lees of Virginia, and a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom, with additional support provided by The Richard C. von Hess Foundation.

Additional support for the Museum’s 250th commemoration provided by David and Kim Adler, Daniel DiLella and Monica Duvall DiLella, John and Ellen Jumper, and Nancy and Morris W. Offit.