Museum Exhibits

How did people become Revolutionaries? Discover how the American colonists – most of them content and even proud British subjects – became Revolutionaries as the roots of rebellion took hold.

How did the Revolution survive its darkest hour? Explore how America would soon learn that it was one thing to declare independence, and quite another to secure it.

How Revolutionary was the war? Explore the final years of the Revolutionary War from the perspectives of the diverse people who lived through it.

What kind of nation did the Revolution create? The Revolutionaries succeeded in gaining independence, but then came the immense task of creating a nation founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Explore the origins, experiences, and ongoing legacy of the American Revolution through three engaging films.

The Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, brings to life the Museum’s lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s and invites visitors to learn through hands-on exploration.

Witness to Revolution, now open through Jan. 5, 2025, brings to life the journey of George Washington’s tent from the Revolutionary War to an enduring symbol of the American republic.

The Museum will mark the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States Armed Forces with a new special exhibition, Banners of Liberty, opening April 19, 2025.

The Declaration's Journey, opening in Fall 2025, will explore how a document created out of a colonial rebellion on the margins of the British empire became one of the most world renowned statements of political rights in human history.

Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia explored the story of James Forten and his descendants as they navigated the American Revolution and cross-racial relationships in Philadelphia to later become leaders in the abolition movement in the lead-up to the Civil War.

Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War immersed visitors in the dramatic and research-based works of nationally renowned historical artist Don Troiani to bring the compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events of the American Revolution to life.

The Museum's summer 2021 exhibit showcased dozens of rare American flags alongside historic early state constitutions and the first printing of the proposed U.S. Constitution of 1787 to shed light on the triumphs and tensions that the United States faced as new states joined the Union.

When Women Lost the Vote explored the little-known history of the nation’s first women voters and examined the political conflicts that led to their voting rights being stripped away.

Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier followed the untold story of Irish soldier and artist Richard St. George, whose personal trauma and untimely death provide a window into the entangled histories of the American Revolution of 1776 and the Irish Revolution of 1798.

Learn more about the limited-run exhibit that featured a display of 40 rare, historic 13-star flags.

Hamilton Was Here was a hands-on exhibit revealing the connections between Philadelphia and Alexander Hamilton’s contributions to the nation’s founding.

General George Washington's headquarters flag was displayed in Philadelphia for the first time since the Revolutionary War.

Learn more about the Museum's 2018 special exhibit, Among His Troops, highlighted by the only known wartime depiction of George Washington's headquarters tent.

The Museum displayed a priceless Diamond Eagle of the Society of the Cincinnati worn by George Washington in Philadelphia for the first time.