Revolution 250 America’s Independence Story 1763-1783

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of a document that changed the world: The US Declaration of Independence. The National Archives are marking this momentous period in British American history with a powerful exhibition that charts the emergence of the United States of America through original documents, letters, maps, treaties and acts of parliament from the time.
Visitors will be taken on a journey spanning twenty years that shaped history. A rare, original ‘Dunlap broadside’ of the Declaration of Independence printed in Philadelphia on the night of 4 July 1776 will be on display, along with the Olive Branch Petition to King George III, signed by many of the men who  would become the ‘Founding Fathers’ of the United States, in a last-ditch attempt to avoid war a year earlier.

Alongside the familiar story of Britain and the rebels, visitors will discover more about those often overlooked in the traditional narrative – Indigenous peoples, Black Loyalists, and enslaved persons, uncovering the human consequences of the decisions made on both sides of the Atlantic during this time of shifting powers and allegiances.

Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story 1763–1783 will not only document the key political events and military manoeuvres on the road to American independence but also explore the impact of the conflict on those who lived through it.
For this exhibition the National Archives team consulted with members of the Onondaga and Mohawk
nations, and the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Nova Scotia.

This exhibition contains material relating to colonial violence, slavery, and warfare. Some records include ideas, language and imagery that may be offensive or distressing.