The Declaration of Independence at 250: America’s Touchstone
This is a multi-year, broad-based initiative by the Gilder Lehrman Institute to recognize the importance of the Declaration of Independence in the history of America, and of the world. The initiative will produce resources and programs that explore themes such as the intellectual and cultural origins of the Declaration, its unprecedented nature among traditional forms of government, the Declaration and the genesis of the African American civil rights movement, the influence of the Declaration on the formation of other countries, and the impact of the Declaration on later generations of Americans, from the Civil War to the twenty-first century.
Close Reading: How the Declaration Justifies Revolution
Scroll down the embed to learn why the Anglo-American colonists decided to leave the British empire in 1776. Key phrases in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence are highlighted and explained. For students, this models the skill of close reading a text.
Teachers: We recommend projecting this interactive at the front of your classroom and working through it together with your students as a shared classroom activity. Otherwise, we recommend viewing on desktop for optimized performance. View full screen.
Additional Resources
Images
Images of the Founding Era
Explore a gallery of images and broadsides related to the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary Era.
Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia, surveyed by N. Scull and G. Heap, engraved by William Faden, London, England, 1777. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC02118)
Photograph of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, created between 1861 and 1865. Small photographs like this were easily shared to celebrate the “birthplace” of the nation, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC00241.04)
The Voice of the Liberty Bell, 1776–1926, poster created by Dan Smith and printed by Elliott Brewer, Philadelphia, 1926. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09657)
Print depicting the Boston Massacre, engraved by Paul Revere in 1770. This image was meant to inspire anger toward the British soldiers, who are seen here firing upon the helpless American colonists. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC01868)
Print of Phillis Wheatley featured in her book of poems, 1773. Wheatley was a well-known poet during the time of the American Revolution, despite the fact that she had been enslaved. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC06154)
Print of British war ships landing in Boston in 1768, shortly before the Revolutionary War. This image was used to illustrate the invasion of British troops into the colonies shortly after the Boston Massacre. Engraved by Paul Revere, May 1770. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC02873)
Print of colonists destroying a statue of King George III in New York, created by Francois Habermann around 1776. Printed in Germany, this image represents the overthrow of the monarchy and the impact of the American Revolution on European countries. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC06952)
Print of General John Rochambeau on horseback. Rochambeau was a French ally to the American cause and a key figure in the Battle of Yorktown. Artist and date of creation unknown. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC04837.02)
Oil painting of George Washington in military uniform by American artist Rembrandt Peale, created around 1852. Peale produced at least 79 paintings of Washington. (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute)
Silhouette image of Colonel Eliphalet Bulkeley on horseback, created by T.C. Colchester between 1770 and 1780. Bulkeley served in the 25th Connecticut Regiment in the Revolutionary War. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC01450.041)
Poster depicting colonial-era and World War II-era American soldiers, created in 1943. This image, produced by the United States Office of War Information, was meant to remind Americans of their historical promise to fight for liberty. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09520.37)
Historical Documents
Spotlights on Primary Sources
Each of the Spotlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection provides explanatory text, a transcript, and an image of the featured document.
Explore the “breaking news” of the American Revolution through selected issues in contemporary newspapers from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. In addition to the political and military news of the day, these periodicals also published a wealth of other newsworthy items and advertisements that impacted the lives of Americans in the Founding Era. You can click on the links below to download the entire issue.
These historic documents tell the story of how the Declaration inspired the birth of the civil rights movement among African Americans within months of its appearance. The Declaration asserted and codified rights that African Americans claimed for themselves as equal participants in the new nation.
The Declaration of Independence, and its ideals of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” inspires writers, performers, and everyday people. Watch Hamilton cast members bring the text alive by quoting the Declaration directly on stage. More clips are available on the Hamilton Education Program website for users who have created their free Gilder Lehrman account.
Hamilton Cast Members at the Gilder Lehrman Collection
Hamilton Cast Members Reading Historical Documents
"The Petition of a Great Number of Negroes Who Are Detained in a State of Slavery," read by Renée Goldsberry and other women from the cast of the musical Hamilton.
Video URL
Letter from Benjamin Banneker to Thomas Jefferson read by Christopher Jackson
Posters
Gilder Lehrman Posters
These posters feature images from the Gilder Lehrman Collection.
History Now, the online journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, features essays by the nation’s leading historians. To read these essays, subscribe to History Now (free for Affiliate School teachers and their students).
If you want to learn more about the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, we recommend the following seminal texts. We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase made through the links to bookshop.org provided. Thank you for supporting our programs.
Self-Paced Courses offer graduate-level online instruction in American history by eminent historians. These courses will allow you to learn more about the Declaration of Independence through the study of the document itself and its context, intellectual precursors, and legacies. Courses are available to watch or listen to on your own time and at your own pace.
Hamilton Cast Read Alongs is a program that features Hamilton cast members reading award-winning children’s books followed by a discussion of the history behind the story led by Gilder Lehrman Master Teacher Keisha Rembert.
These informative, colorful pop-up displays cover subjects in American history, from leading figures like Alexander Hamilton to important events like World War I and topics like immigration.
This program combines theatrical experiences with rigorous historical study and creative expression to make history engaging and accessible to students.
