DAR Museum Exhibition -- Revolution in Their Words

Exploring the decisive period just before and after the War for Independence in America began, Revolution in Their Words will focus on the thoughts and words of the people affected by the turmoil and anger between the colonies and the British leaders. White, Black both- free and enslaved- and Indigenous people will tell their stories, in their own words. Focusing on ordinary people and encompassing gender, race, class, and regional differences rather than battles and military heroes, this exhibit will illustrate how these people reconciled their own feelings with the larger narrative of the powerful politicians. Giving attention to people who have been left out of traditional narratives of the War for Independence, the exhibit will show how they situated themselves in the conflict in their own words. Black people had agency, Indigenous people had more than an auxiliary role, and women exerted domestic and political power. Divided into sections based the home experience, military experience, diplomacy and the printed word, the exhibit will use letters, poetry, diaries, newspaper articles, speeches and more to piece together a narrative of what it meant to the people who were living amid incredible changes.