250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

In 1776, people grappled with ideas of liberty, loyalty, and the role of government in society. Private letters, intimate diaries, and newspaper accounts reveal how the Declaration of Independence grew from draft to founding document.

250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Massachusetts Historical Society, itself founded only 22 years after the Declaration, has mounted an exhibition curated by the Adams Presidential Library titled 1776: Declaring Independence. Some of the items on display include:

• John Adams's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence -
• Thomas Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration -.
• An original 1776 Dunlap Broadside
• Private letters from 1776
• Diaries kept during the Revolution
• Contemporary newspapers

On and off the page, it explores how it echoed across the commonwealth and around the world, reshaping the colonists' chances of launching a new nation. How did the Declaration change Americans' quest for liberty, then and now? The Exhibition allows visitors to trace the Declaration's complex legacy as a national beacon.

We have arranged for the MHS to give OxCamNE a private guided tour of the exhibition on Saturday, November 14th at 1:00pm. The cost is $20 per person, and participation is limited to 26 people. Sign up here.

The Historical Society is located at 1154 Boylston Street. The nearest T station is Hynes Convention Center on the Green Line.