Revolution in Their Words

DAR Museum Exhibition

Brings America’s Founding Voices into Focus

The DAR Museum’s newest exhibition, Revolution in Their Words, marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States by examining the nation’s founding through the firsthand accounts of those who lived it. Drawing on the NSDAR’s extensive collection of artifacts and manuscripts, as well as loans from other museums, the exhibition presents a wide range of perspectives from the decades before, during, and after the War for Independence.

Power

of Words

At the time, the American colonies had the world’s highest literacy rate. It was close to 90% in New England. Nearly 150 newspapers were in circulation, sharing news from around the globe. Pamphlets and broadsides disseminated ideas and information throughout the colonies. Revolution in Their Words centers firsthand accounts of this tumultuous time, commemorating the 250^th anniversary of American independence through the stories of the people who lived it.

6th VA daybook

The 6th Virginia Regiment’s “Order of the Day Book” was kept between 1776 and 1778. It lists the daily activities of the regiment. The entry for July 24, 1776, states The declaration of Independence is to be proclaimed tomorrow in the City of Williamsburg . . . when all the Troops of duty are to attend from Different Corps.

Binns Declaration of Independence

Printer John Binns intended to be the first to reprint the Declaration of Independence, but others copied his idea. Binns’ copy was not completed first, but his “splendid edition” was more decorative and elaborate

Christopher Ketley Wallet

Christopher Ketley of Lancaster, PA, kept his oath of allegiance in this Irish stitch-embroidered wallet. He enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776

Moses Short Diary

It was “fair” on the day Moses Short “Enlisted to Day to Serve a Soldier” on October 3, 1778. His activities before enlisting included pulling flax, hauling hay, and other farm chores.

Springfield Armory Petition

In July 1777, 61 workers at the Massachusetts Springfield Artillery signed this petition asking Brigadier General Henry Knox for an increase in salaries and daily provisions due to the rising cost of “the necessaires of life.”

Joseph Smith Diary

Joseph Smith, a wagon master from Massachusetts, kept a diary from 1775 to 1797. On Thursday, July 18, 1775, he wrote that he heard the new Manifesto written by the Continental Congress.

John Hancock letter box

John Hancock was a prolific letter writer. This is one of his letter boxes that descended through his nephew, also John Hancock, to the donor, an early member of the NSDAR, Henrietta Niles Wood Howe.

John Fisher Diary Long Island

Here John Fisher wrote “the riflemen went over to long island” on August 26, 1776.

The Declaration of Independence and Its Legacy at DAR

Complementing the exhibition is Preserving Patriotism: The Declaration of Independence and Its Legacy at DAR, on view in the Museum’s Study Gallery. Serving as a prelude to Revolution in Their Words, the display brings together signatures of all 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Never before exhibited in their entirety, these signatures are among the most prized documents in the Americana Collection of the National Society.

Preserving

Patriotism

The historical records containing signatures of all 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence are among the most prized documents in the Americana Collection of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).

Now housed in the DAR Library, the Americana Collection was formed in 1940, on the 50th anniversary of the National Society. A key part of the organization’s mission is preservation of “relics”– artifacts and documents– from the nation’s past.

Spanning six decades, from the 1750’s to the 1810’s, the autographs on display in the Museum are found in letters, legal documents, and receipts, giving a glimpse into the daily life of the men who signed the Declaration. Collectively, they represent the ongoing commitment to preserving and upholding the founding principles of our nation. It is especially fitting that they are all are on display for the first time to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

John Hancock

Commission issued to Joseph Smith signed by John Hancock, 1776

The man whose name is synonymous with “signature” was the only name included on early printed copies of the Declaration, forever linking him to that founding document. Hancock was elected to lead the Second Continental Congress, and when they voted to adopt the Declaration on July 4, 1776, Hancock signed it first to ratify it.

John Adams

Ship pass issued in French, Spanish, English, and Dutch for the schooner ‘Hornet’ of Baltimore, bound for Hispaniola (present day Haiti and Dominican Republic), signed by President Adams and Timothy Pickering, Secretary of State, May 17, 1797

Benjamin Franklin

Letter from Benjamin to his wife, Deborah, addressed "My dear Child," introducing Miss Farquarson and Miss Smith, a milliner and a dressmaker. London, England, April 20, 1770

Thomas Jefferson

Note with instructions from Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, to Mr. Thomas Pinckney, Ambassador to Great Britain, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1792

Button Gwinett

The last signature acquired, completing the collection of all 56 men, was Button Gwinnett's signature. His is the rarest of all the signers and sometimes called the "Holy Grail" of signatures. Only 50 known to be in existence, DAR's is credited with being in excellent condition. Purchased at auction in March 2002, through the generosity of members of Georgia State Society and NSDAR.