American Revolution Day Trip: Inspired by “The Declaration’s Journey”

With a focus on Thomas Jefferson and the process of drafting the Declaration, and how its story is more complex than assumed, These Truths: The Declarations of Independence explores the ways that Americans used and reproduced the document during the first fifty years of its history. On view is the Windsor chair Jefferson sat in while writing the Declaration, part of the American Philosophical Society's collection, which was generously loaned to the Museum and exhibited in The Declaration’s Journey from October 2025 to March 2026. 

104 S. 5th Street  
Philadelphia, PA 19106 

The First Salute at the Weitzman is the first-ever major museum exhibition to explore the little-known story of a small group of Jewish merchants in the Caribbean whose outsized contributions to the cause of American Liberty tipped the scales in the fight for American Independence. 

Both The First Salute and The Declaration’s Journey highlight the story of Jewish merchant Jonas Phillips and the Dunlap broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence that he sent from Philadelphia on July 28, 1776. Through merchant connections in the Caribbean, Phillips tried to get the news of American independence to his relative and business associate in Europe, but his correspondence was captured by a British ship. The Declaration’s Journey has on view the original broadside and letter written in Judeo-German and sent by Jonas Phillips, who called it “a declaration of the whole country,” and added, “How it will end, the blessed God knows.” They are on loan from The National Archives of the United Kingdom and are being exhibited together for the first time publicly. 

The First Salute also recounts how the inhabitants of St. Eustatius aided the Revolutionary War effort by supplying Washington’s army with gunpowder and other supplies. 

101 South Independence Mall East  
Philadelphia, PA 19106 

Discover more than two centuries of preserved history, faith, and Black excellence at Mother Bethel AME Church, on land purchased by Bishop Richard Allen in 1791 that has become the oldest continuously- owned property by African Americans in the United States. The new Richard Allen Museum onsite at Mother Bethel showcases rare artifacts and historical documents dating back to the early 1700s. Visitors can also pay their respects at Allen’s tomb located in the Museum. 

In The Declaration’s Journey, we feature a portrait of Allen and tell the story of how he became a Methodist while still enslaved. After gaining his freedom in 1783 by agreeing to pay his enslaver over a period of time, Allen committed his life to religious leadership. Allen joined other free Black Philadelphians like Absalom Jones, Lemuel Haynes, James Forten, and many other activists who argued passionately for greater liberties for free people of African descent and an end to slavery in the new nation. The exhibition features their 1799 “The Petition of the People of Colour, Freemen, within the City and Suburbs of Philadelphia” signed by these men and submitted to Congress. It is on loan courtesy of courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration in Washington, D.C.

419 S. 6th Street 
Philadelphia, PA 19147  

The Arch Street Meeting House will host an immersive performance centered on Bayard Rustin and Sarah Mapps Douglass, two Black Philadelphian Quakers who walked the halls of the meeting house a century apart. The performance will take place on July 18 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., or you can learn more about Rustin through ongoing interpretation in Arch Street’s Reception Room. 

Rustin’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement are also highlighted in The Declaration’s Journey. As one of King’s closest advisors, Rustin helped to organize nonviolent protests and is widely recognized as the primary organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The exhibition features a March on Washington flier, on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well as an advanced distribution copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech, on loan from a private collector, courtesy of Seth Kaller, Inc. 

320 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Just down the street from the Museum, the re-created Franklin Court Printing Office showcases how 18th century printing offices operated and played a pivotal role in spreading the news about the Declaration of Independence. In The Declaration’s Journey, view the brass matrices, on loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society, that Benjamin Franklin used when he was living in France during the Revolutionary War, and printed pro-American propaganda. The Museum will also offer printmaking and papermaking demonstrations during our Declaration Days programming at the Museum, July 1–5, 2026. In partnership with Common Press, visitors can learn how paper was made and printing presses were used to spread the word about independence. 

318 Market St
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Explore the global legacy of American independence with this official exhibition catalog from the Museum of the American Revolution. The Declaration's Journey features stunning high-resolution photography of over 100 carefully curated artifacts, tracing the Declaration of Independence' profound influence across 250 years and continents. This 113-page softcover book offers an in-depth visual journey through history, perfect for history enthusiasts, educators, and anyone seeking to understand how one document shaped the world.