The Declaration's Journey: A Convening on the International Legacy

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Museum of the American Revolution created The Declaration’s Journey, a landmark exhibition that traces the evolution and global impact of this founding document since 1776. The exhibition features artifacts, documents, and works of art related to the declarations of independence issued by France, Haiti, Mexico, Chile, Korea, and more.

As the Museum’s curators and scholarly committee worked to develop The Declaration’s Journey, presented by Griffin Catalyst, it was clear that the international aspect of the story represented an exciting area of new research and presented opportunities for future study. To further explore the international impact of the Declaration, the Museum will host a two-day convening on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26.

Join us for an exploration of how the Declaration influenced other independence movements in the 250 years since its proclamation.

Conference Schedule

Friday, Sept. 25
Sessions take place in Liberty Hall unless noted.

Welcome Remarks | 8:50-9 a.m.

• Matthew Skic
  Museum of the American Revolution

New Insights on the Declaration of Independence | 9-10:30 a.m.

This panel brings together three scholars doing cutting-edge scholarship on the Declaration of Independence and shows that there are still new things to learn about the 250-year-old document. It also serves as the kick-off panel for the Convening.

• Chair: Dr. Eliga H. Gould
  University of New Hampshire

• Dr. Sarah M.S. Pearsall
  Johns Hopkins University
  Talk: "Pursuing Happiness in the Revolutionary Atlantic"

• Dr. Emily Sneff
  Museum of the American Revolution
  Talk: "Content and Dissemination of the Declaration of Independence"

• Dr. Helena Yoo-Roth
  The McNeil Center for Early American Studies, University of Pennsylvania
  Talk: "Timing Revolution: Temporal Dimensions of the Declaration of Independence"

The Declaration in Europe | 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

The Declaration and its ideals would inspire and help give voice to a series of revolutions—or attempted revolutions—in Europe during the period known as the “Age of Revolutions.”

• Chair: Dr. Patrick Griffin
  University of Notre Dame

• Dr. Scott C. Breuninger
  Virginia Commonwealth University
  Talk: "The Declaration in Ireland"

• Dr. Csaba Lévai
  University of Debrecen
  Talk: "Two Revolutions and Two Declarations: The Different Fates of the American and the Hungarian Declaration of Independence"

• Dr. Jeremy D. Popkin
  University of Kentucky, emeritus
  Talk: "The Declaration and the French Revolution"

Lunch Lecture | 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

Lunch and lecture will be held in Founders Board Room and will be ticketed. The lecture will also be livestreamed into Liberty Hall and online.

• Dr. Eliga H. Gould
  University of New Hampshire
  Talk: "Peace and Independence: The Forgotten History of the United States’ Founding Treaty"

  Drawing on the fascinating experiences of Benjmain Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, Eliga Gould will discuss the treaty’s main accomplishments — King George III’s recognition of the former colonies as free and independent states, the placement of the union’s western border on the Mississippi, and the confirmation of the border with Canada.

The Legacy of the Declaration of Independence in West Africa | 1:45-3:15 p.m.

This panel examines how the language and ideals of the American Declaration of Independence traveled across the Atlantic through the lives, faith, and political aspirations of Black Americans who founded new societies in West Africa.

• Chair: Dr. Nemata Blyden
  University of Virginia

• Alison McCann
  University of Miami
  Talk: "Echoes of Independence: African American Aspirations in Liberia’s Frontier"

• Dr. Marie Stango
  Idaho State University
  Talk: "The Declaration of Independence and Slave Trade Suppression in Liberia"

• Dr. Andrew Wegmann
  Texas Tech University
  Talk: "'We, the People of the Republic of Liberia’: The Liberian Declaration of Independence, Jeffersonian Republicanism, and the Reimagining of a Continent"

• Dr. Ben Wright
  The University of Texas at Dallas
  Talk: "Liberty’s Long Shadow: Christianity, the Declaration of Independence, and Black Migration to West Africa"

Roundtable: Curating The Declaration’s Journey | 3:30-5 p.m.

This roundtable brings together the curators and historians behind The Declaration’s Journey to discuss how the exhibition came together, discoveries made along the way, and the challenges in telling a 250-year story.

• Chair: Susan R. Stein
  Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Monticello

• Matthew Skic
  Museum of the American Revolution

• Dr. Emily Sneff
  Museum of the American Revolution

• Dr. Philip Mead
  Independent Scholar

• Dr. Amy Noel Ellison
  Los Altos History Museum

Reception | 5-6 p.m.

The reception will take place in the Cross Keys Cafe with access to Patriots Gallery to view The Declaration's Journey.

Saturday, Sept. 26
Sessions take place in Liberty Hall unless noted.

Exhibiting the “Age of Revolutions”: Latin American Museum Narratives | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

This panel examines 21st-century museum exhibits across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Drawing on their experiences as both curators and historians, the speakers will analyze how independence has been represented in these spaces.

• Chair: Dr. Caitlin Fitz
  Northwestern University

• Dr. Gabriel Di Meglio
  Universidad de Buenos Aires
  Talk: "Reframing Independence: New Perspectives on a Traditional Subject in Argentine Museums"

• Dr. Michelli Cristine Scapol Monteiro
  Universidade de São Paulo
  Talk: “Curating Independence in Brazil: Memory and Commemoration”

• Dr. Macarena Ponce de León Atria
  Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
  Talk: "Hijos de las Independencias: The Impacts of Discourse and the Weight of Collections at the Chilean Museum of National History in the 21st Century"

• Dr. Daniel Gutiérrez Ardila
  Universidad Externado de Colombia
  Talk: “Knowledge and Emotion: Columbian Independence in the XXI Century”

• Carmen Saucedo
  Palacio Nacional
  Talk: “The Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire: Between Veneration and Misunderstanding”

Lunch Lecture | 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Lunch and lecture will be held in Founders Board Room and will be ticketed. The lecture will also be livestreamed into Liberty Hall and online.

• Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson
  Baylor University
  Talk: “Diplomacy and the Declaration: Haiti’s Contribution to the American Revolution”  

  The talk will discuss the Declaration of Independence as “America’s first foreign policy document” to highlight the importance of diplomacy and alliances to the success of the US War of Independence and the legacy of the American Revolution.

Roundtable: The Declaration and Haiti | 1-2:30 p.m.

This roundtable brings together leading historians of the Haitian revolution for a lively discussion of the issues and people driving the fight for abolition and the creation of a new nation.

• Chair: Dr. Julia Gaffield
  William & Mary

• Dr. Leslie Alexander
  Rutgers University

• Dr. Marlene Daut
  Yale University

• Dr. Chelsea Stieber
  Tulane University

The Declaration and Asian Independence Movements | 2:45-4:15 p.m.

This panel explores the Declaration’s varied history in Southeast Asia in the first part of the 20th century.

• Chair: Dr. Chris Suh
  Emory University

• Dr. Christopher Capozzola
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  Talk: “Declaring Independence in the Philippines: July 4, 1946”

• Dr. Juman Kim
  Towson University
  Talk: “The 1919 First Korean Congress in Philadelphia: Decades of Korean-American Engagement and the Contested Legacy of 1776”

• Dr. Lori Watt
  Washington University
  Talk: “The Declaration of Independence and Japan: Anti-colonial Language and the End of Empire”