Museum of the American Revolution

10/19/2026

On this day in 1781, the British officially surrendered to the Continental Army led by General George Washington and the French Army led by Comte de Rochambeau following the Siege of Yorktown in Virginia.

This dramatic scene hanging in the Museum’s Oneida Nation Atrium commemorates the October 1781 Siege of Yorktown in Virginia. The original 1836 painting hangs in the Hall of Battles at the Palace of Versailles in France. This full-sized copy is believed to have been painted by French artist Henry LeGrand and exhibited at the Chicago Art Union in 1860. Yorktown was one of the last major military actions of the Revolutionary War.
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Take a closer look: https://bit.ly/3EqzcT5

10/18/2026

Can you believe our special exhibition has already been open for one whole year? 📜

To mark the nation’s Semiquincentennial, the Museum’s special exhibition “The Declaration’s Journey,” presented by Griffin Catalyst, offers visitors a chance to explore the legacy of the Declaration of Independence and its global influence over the last 250 years. In the last year we’ve welcomed more than 125,000 visitors as well as some special guests from the many countries represented in the exhibition, and even some celebrities!

Have you visited? Share your experience with us in the comments! Be sure to plan your next visit before the exhibition closes Jan. 3, 2027.

10/18/2026

We see another beautiful day to visit the Museum 🙂‍↕️

Our two-day living history event Revolutionary Philadelphia: 1776 continues today with costumed interpretation, walking tours, dramatic vignettes, and hands-on activities.

10/17/2026

The only thing better than a night out is a day at the Museum 🎻📜

Revolutionary Philadelphia: 1776 is underway! Philadelphia in 1776 was a city on the verge of crisis. Join us Oct. 17-18 to experience the fall of 1776 with costumed interpretation, walking tours, dramatic vignettes, and hands-on activities.

10/16/2026

What was Philadelphia like in the year of independence? 📜

Visit the Museum Oct. 17-18 for Revolutionary Philadelphia: 1776 to experience a living history event that will immerse you in the fall of 1776. With walking tours, dramatic vignettes, and hands-on activities for all ages, explore what life was like for the diverse residents of Philadelphia after the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Listen in as neighbors debate politics and loyalties — and maybe join in! As tensions rise while the British march south from New York, decide whether you will enlist with the Philadelphia Associators to support Washington’s Army, maintain your loyalty to the King, or play both sides.

Visit this weekend: https://bit.ly/3WsZjFe

10/15/2026

OoOoooh, there are some hauntingly good new items in the Museum Shop ☠️👻

Find these Revolutionary treats and more frightful fall favorites in-store at the Museum or online. Shop the collection... if you dare: https://shop.amrevmuseum.org/collections/fall-favorites

10/14/2026

Actually, this *was* on our bingo card.

Heading to Revolutionary Philadelphia: 1776 at the Museum this weekend? Keep an eye out for details like soldiers’ equipment and 18th-century produce as you haggle over goods at the market and meet artisans demonstrating their crafts. You may even win a special prize!

Join us Oct. 17-18 :https://bit.ly/47oSQNZ

10/13/2026

We’re just one week away from the kickoff to the 2026-2027 season of our Read the Revolution Speaker Series! 📚

Join us onsite or online Tuesday, Oct. 20, as Dr. Adam Jortner presents a lecture and discussion on American religious freedom as defined and forged by Jewish faith leaders and communities during the Revolutionary era inspired by his most recent book, “A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and The Birth of Religious Freedom.” The discussion will highlight ties to the Museum’s current special exhibition, “The Declaration’s Journey,” including the story of Jonas Phillips, a Philadelphia Jewish merchant who attempted to send a Dunlap broadside of the Declaration of Independence and letter written in Yiddish to his relative and business partner in Amsterdam. However, both were intercepted by the British and are back in Philadelphia for the first time since 1776, on view in the Museum’s special exhibition. His portrait is on loan from the American Jewish Historical Society.

Register for onsite or virtual tickets: https://bit.ly/3Vza0pA

10/12/2026

Though everyone in 18th-century America — from Native Americans to new arrivals — lived in the legacy of Columbus, they rarely referenced him as a hero or villain. In fact, most Revolutionary Americans thought about Columbus far less often than one might expect today.

Revolutionary Americans only sometimes mentioned Columbus in historical accounts of the “discovery” of America. Occasionally, he was invoked as a metaphorical pioneer. In 1760, for example, John Adams wrote that “in Metaphysicks, Mr. Locke, directed by my Lord Bacon, has steered his Course into the unenlightened Regions of the human Mind, and like Columbus has discoverd a new World.”

Read more about the diverse perspectives of 18th-century Americans on Columbus, his legacy, and his actions:

Though everyone in 18th-century America — from Native Americans to new arrivals — lived in the legacy of Columbus, they rarely referenced him as a hero or villain. In fact, most Revolutionary Americans thought about Columbus far less often than one might expect today.