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A groundbreaking new special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, will bring together – for the first time in a major museum exhibition – more than 100 historical artifacts to tell the inspiring story of free Black Philadelphian James Forten and his family’s tireless pursuit of liberty and equality from the Revolutionary era through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

A powder horn of Black Revolutionary War soldier Gershom Prince, killed at the Battle of Wyoming in Northeastern Pennsylvania, now on display

An historic Bible, connected to one of the most significant African American families in Philadelphia’s history, has been donated to the Museum of the American Revolution by Atwood “Kip” Forten Jacobs and his daughter Taylor Jacqueline Rodriguez Jacobs, direct descendants of Black Revolutionary War veteran and abolitionist James Forten. The Bible is currently on display – for the first time in public – in the Museum’s special exhibition Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

Join the Museum of the American Revolution for a live musical experience on Friday, May 12, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., presented by The Jeremy Winston Chorale and inspired by the Museum’s special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia. Featuring more than 20 Chorale members and led by composer and artistic director Jeremy Winston, the concert will celebrate the life of free Black Philadelphian James Forten and explore Philadelphia’s rich musical history through storytelling and song.

Only two months remain to see the Museum of the American Revolution’s groundbreaking special exhibition Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, which runs through Nov. 26, 2023, exclusively at the Museum.

With a newly launched virtual tour, people from across the globe can now experience a 360-degree walkthrough of the Museum of the American Revolution’s groundbreaking current special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

Nearly 200 rare documents bearing the names of Black and Native American soldiers – often written in their own hand – who served during the Revolutionary War are now in the collection of the Museum of the American Revolution.

This summer, four Black costumed living history interpreters will join the Museum of the American Revolution for short-term residencies to portray and discuss free and enslaved craftspeople of African descent through hands-on demonstrations, storytelling, and conversation.

What does your wardrobe say about you? From your favorite sports team’s gear to MAGA hats and “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts, clothing can speak louder than words regarding the causes you support, both personally and politically. But the “wear your cause” movement is nothing new.

Nearly 200 rare documents bearing the names of Black and Native American soldiers who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War will soon be accessible to everyone at no cost, thanks to a new partnership between Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution and Ancestry®