Museum of the American Revolution

05/30/2026

Planning out your summer travel? Pack your bags for Philadelphia. 🧳

Travel + Leisure rounded up all the best things to do in the city (including a stop to the Museum to explore our special exhibition “The Declaration’s Journey”) and why it should be your July 4 destination to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Travel experts agree: Pennsylvania is the ultimate Fourth of July destination in 2026. Pennsylvania offers authentic historical sites where visitors can experience the nation's founding firsthand.

05/29/2026

POV: Felicity was your favorite American Girl doll and you’ve found the perfect place to visit 🐎

Plan your next visit to the Museum!

05/28/2026

From the City of Brotherly Love to the Windy City ⛺

We’re bringing our First Oval Office Project to Chicago! In partnership with The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Illinois and the Newberry Library, join us on Saturday, June 6, in Washington Square Park as we display the Museum’s hand-sewn replica of General George Washington’s dining tent. Living history interpreters will provide guests with an immersive exploration of life on campaign during the Revolutionary War, Washington's role as Commander in Chief, and the ongoing legacy of the American Revolution.

Join the First Oval Office Project in Chicago, Illinois, in partnership with The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Illinois and the Newberry Library, to display the Museum’s hand-sewn replica of General George Washington’s dining tent in Washington Square Park. Living history interpreter...

05/27/2026

The final installment in the 2025-2026 season of our Read the Revolution Speaker Series is coming up in just one week! 📚

Dr. Francis D. Cogliano and Dr. Peter S. Onuf will join us on Wednesday, June 3, with a lecture and discussion to launch their new book, "Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours," on why Jefferson matters and how his wisdom can be applied today, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The discussion will be followed by a live Q&A.

🎟 Onsite and online registration available!

Dr. Francis D. Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus of the University of Virginia, will join the Museum on Wednesday, June 3 to present the fifth and final public program in the Museum...

05/26/2026

As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close, meet Dr. Philip Jaisohn, who is featured in our special exhibition “The Declaration’s Journey,” presented by Griffin Catalyst.

In April 1919, the First Korean Congress, presided over by Jaisohn, met at the Little Theater in Philadelphia. Jaisohn, a Korean-born physician and activist, lived in Media, Pa. He was the first Korean to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. His traveling trunk is on display in our special exhibition.

Sitting down in the Philip Jaisohn Memorial House, George Choe, President and CEO of the Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation, shares the story of Jaisohn and his relationship to the Korean Independence movement. Watch to learn how Jaisohn helped further Korean Independence from both within and outside of the country, and how the U.S. Declaration and history of independence helped inform his advocacy.

🎥Watch the full video on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/4x9tFL9

05/25/2026

“Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness.”

This , we honor the men and women who lost their lives in service to their country during the Revolutionary War and celebrate the freedoms they fought to secure for future generations. Throughout the weekend, visitors joined Museum educators for walking tours to the memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution in Washington Square Park to learn more about the sacrifices made in founding our nation.

05/24/2026

In 1776, the leaders of the Continental Congress set forth that, in the new United States, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In her new historical biography, author Nina Sankovitch explains how a genderless religious leader was one of the first people to put those words of the Declaration into true practice.

“Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary” details the life and legacy of Jemima Wilkinson, who at 23 years old in October 1776 claimed, after surviving a brief illness, to have been reincarnated as a genderless divine spirit called the Public Universal Friend. The Friend then became an evangelist for a new faith, preaching first in nearby New England neighborhoods and then traveling to Philadelphia and elsewhere in the new United States, forming a congregation called the Society of Universal Friends that eventually created a settlement in western New York they called Jerusalem. “Universal Friend did what men like [George] Washington, [Thomas] Jefferson, and [John] Adams had promised: created a society that valued equality, promoted opportunity, and fostered a flourishing economy based on individual enrichment while also emphasizing working for the common good,” Sankovitch writes.

Though this utopia and the Friend’s following did not long endure, their story showcases how the American Revolution's era and the bustling city of Philadelphia provided people like the Public Universal Friend opportunities to test boundaries and challenge the social norms of a rapidly changing society.

📖 Read an excerpt with our latest Read the Revolution feature and learn more on our Public Universal Friend Walking Tour offered every Saturday in June.

In 1776, the leaders of the Continental Congress set forth that, in the new United States, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In her new historical biography, author...

05/23/2026

Join the Museum this Memorial Day Weekend to honor the men and women who lost their lives in service to their country during the Revolutionary War and celebrate the freedoms they fought to secure for future generations. Throughout the weekend, join daily walking tours to the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier (limited space available), "Meet Elizabeth Freeman" theatrical performances (May 24-25), in-gallery talks in our core galleries and special exhibition, hands-on crafts in Revolution Place, and more.

Veterans and active-duty military members enjoy free admission throughout Memorial Day Weekend, courtesy of Comcast NBCUniversal .

Included with regular Museum admission, unless otherwise noted.Veterans and active-duty military members enjoy free admission throughout Memorial Day Weekend, courtesy of Comcast NBCUniversal.

05/22/2026

We’re excited to share the Museum has recently been named a winner in multiple categories of Visit Philly’s Liberty Bells awards and Philadelphia Inquirer’s Philly Favorites awards – all thanks to your votes! 🏆🎉

We took home two Liberty Bells 🔔 for the “New-ish Attraction (That We Now Can’t Imagine Philly Without)” and “History Made Whole” awards.

In this year’s Philly Favorites awards, the Museum took home the 🥇 gold for "Best Attraction" and "Best Family Attraction," and the 🥈 silver for "Best Museum" and "Best Tour."

We can’t wait for you to join us this season as we mark the nation’s 250th anniversary!

05/21/2026

On this day in 1796, Ona Judge, who was enslaved by George and Martha Washington, escaped from the President's House while the Washingtons lived in Philadelphia. Judge fled to New Hampshire, where she would live out the rest of her life. Philadelphia City Council is honoring this date today with its first-ever Ona Judge Day.

This brass and iron chamber door handle in the Museum’s collection, which may have been the handle Judge used to escape, was removed from the Market Street house in Philadelphia that George Washington occupied during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and as President of the United States from 1790 to 1797. During this period, up to 30 people, including nine enslaved people of African descent from Washington's Mount Vernon estate, occupied the President's House.

From our collection: https://bit.ly/4tNywyw