Period artifacts combine with sensory experiences to tell a compelling story of the American Revolution

Declaration of Independence broadside, July 1776
An early broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence printed in Boston soon after the Declaration was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. JYF2009.12.

Iconic artifacts of the American Revolution and early national periods are among close to 500 objects on exhibit in the 22,000-square-foot permanent exhibition galleries of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Immersive environments, dioramas, interactive exhibits, films, and period artifacts engage visitors in the story of the American Revolution, from its origins in the mid-1700s to the early years of the new United States.

Explore a few of the diverse stories told through the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

The British Empire and America

Examine the geography, demography, culture and economy of America prior to the Revolution and the impact of the Seven Years’ War. The war ended in 1763 and resulted in expansion of Britain’s territory in North America and efforts to compel the North American colonies to help pay the war’s costs. Artifacts telling this story include:

• A coronation portrait of King George III from the studio of Allan Ramsay symbolizes British rule.
• A portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, one of the two earliest known portraits done from life of an African who had been enslaved in the British colonies that became the United States.
• A New York-made gorget with a silver bear symbol, probably used in diplomacy or trade with the Iroquois, which shows the complexity and diversity of colonial American society.

The changing relationship—Britain and North America

The rising tensions and growing rift between the American colonies and Britain is chronicled , from the Stamp Act of 1665 to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Among the objects on exhibit are:

• A full-scale wharf setting – including a Red Lion Tavern that serves up a short film – where issues of taxation and British economic control are brought into focus.
• An English-made firing glass and silver teaspoons inscribed with symbols of liberty.
• A document box embossed with the gilded text “Stamp Act Rep ͩ/March 18, 1766.” bears witness to that moment in history.

Portrait of King George III
“Portrait of King George III in coronation robes,” from the studio of Allan Ramsay, who served as Principal Painter in Ordinary at the royal court. The oil-on-canvas painting with the original 18th-century gilt frame is one of several done by the studio between 1762 and 1784. JYF2009.2.

Revolution

Trace the Revolutionary War from the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 to victory at Yorktown in 1781 and the aftermath. On display are:

• A rare July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence, adopted more than a year after fighting began.
• A June 1776 Philadelphia printing of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, one of the inspirations for the U.S. Declaration

Two great battles

Two early American victories – the 1775 Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia and the 1777 Battle of Saratoga in New York, a turning point that led to a formal alliance with France – are highlighted in a diorama and a short film. Also view:

• A portrait medallion of Benjamin Franklin produced in 1777 while Franklin was serving as an American representative in France is exhibited.
• A small oval portrait of Louis XVI painted during the king’s reign is also on display.

By late 1778, Britain concentrated its military operations on the Southern states. Sporadic conflicts between Britain and America and its allies occurred even after the momentous Siege of Yorktown. Follow the story through:

• A miniature portrait of General Daniel Morgan, renowned for defeating the British at the Battle of Cowpens in 1781.
• Our experiential theater that transports visitors to the battlefield with wind, smoke and the thunder of cannon fire.
• Artifacts from the Betsy, a British supply ship scuttled during the siege, on long-term loan from Virginia Department of Historic Resources. An eyewitness painting, “Lord Rodney’s flagship ‘Formidable’ breaking through the French line at the battle of the Saintes, 12th April 1782,” depicts action during a three-day sea battle that occurred six months after the American victory at Yorktown.

The portrayal of the American homefront

The wartime homefront is portrayed in three-dimensional settings that provide a backdrop for the stories of diverse Americans – Patriots and Loyalists, women, and enslaved and free African Americans including:

• Benjamin Thompson, an American Loyalist who moved to Europe after the war and became a noted scientist, is the subject of a 1785 portrait. Mary Katherine Goddard, a printer whose January 1777 copy of the Declaration of Independence was the first to contain the typeset names of all the signatories.
• Benjamin Banneker, a free African American who became famous in the 1790s as a scientist and writer.

American silver-hilted, eagle-pommel sword, circa 1776
An American silver-hilted, eagle-pommel sword. The scabbard mount is marked by the maker, Richard Humphreys of Philadelphia, and is dated 1776. The sword belonged to Captain William McKissack, an officer who fought in the Revolutionary War. JYF2012.1a-b.

Terra cotta medallion depicting Benjamin Franklin, Jean-Baptiste Nini, 1777

The new nation

• Follow the story of America forward from the 1783 Treaty of Paris recognizing the United States as an independent nation with boundaries extending to the Mississippi River. A short film recounts how the need for a stronger national government than provided by the Articles of Confederation adopted during the Revolution led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the formation in 1789 of the national government that continues to today.
• A 19th-century life-size statue of George Washington formerly exhibited in the U.S. Capitol, along with an assemblage of artifacts associated with the nation’s first president.
• A Wedgwood antislavery medallion and other artifacts speak to growing public opposition to slavery.

The American people

Explore the emergence of a distinctive national identity influenced by immigration, internal migration, and demographic, political and social changes following the Revolution. Emblematic of the new nation are:

• An American-made sword with a silver pommel in the form of an eagle.
• An early 19th-century sandstone marker – carved with an eagle, stars and the word “Liberty” – from a ferry house that once stood along the Cumberland Road.

Feel like you are being transported through time through interactive exhibits, informative videos and life-size re-creations.

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