As America marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia and Penn stand at the heart of the commemoration and reflection. Penn’s founder, Benjamin Franklin, lived in the city and was key in the Declaration’s conception and adoption on July 4, 1776. These stories bring that pivotal era to life, highlighting the nation’s founding and the development of its political and cultural identity.
The Declaration of Independence on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Declaration
Today, the Declaration of Independence stands at the center of America’s founding moment and as a tribute to a new nation’s idealism. Penn experts on the Declaration reflect on its words and meaning, and a special yearlong project at Penn’s Common Press brings the document to life through public workshops and an interactive exercise.
Penn and Franklin in Revolutionary Times
No single individual is more closely associated with the founding of the University and with Revolutionary-era Philadelphia than Benjamin Franklin. A philosopher, inventor, writer, and businessman, he helped shape American society in enduring ways. These stories explore the city’s transformation, how its institutions evolved, and how their legacies live on today.
Picturing the Period: 1776
Through this diverse set of stories, the Revolutionary era in America—its inhabitants and the emerging nation—comes into focus. Together, they explore early institutions, economic forces, and the cultural and intellectual landscape of the times, highlighting the people, systems, and ideas that made America possible and influenced new nations.
America 250 Experts at Penn
For the media, Penn experts are available on numerous topics related to the Declaration of Independence and early America’s politics, material culture, and history—its pre-1776 roots, North America, the Atlantic world, American democracy, Indigenous North America, slavery and abolition, the political philosophy of the American Revolution, and more.
Penn Today spoke with historian Daniel Richter, philosopher Jennifer Morton, and democratic governance expert Claire Finkelstein about the Declaration’s historical context, political ideas, and evolving legacy.
Recreating the Declaration using 250-year-old techniques
From papermaking to typesetting, Penn’s Common Press has been working to print the Declaration of Independence using the same methods as in 1776. Members of the public can sign up through December to print their own copies.
Learn the five steps to making paper as it was done in the Revolutionary era, part of a Common Press semiquincentennial project, alongside a class from the Weitzman School of Design.
A typesetting workshop at Penn’s Common Press invited participants to reinterpret lines from the Declaration of Independence as part of the Typography of Independence project and Penn’s America 250 programming.
Mapping Penn and Franklin in Revolutionary Philadelphia
From the Market Street Wharf on the Delaware River, Penn’s founder Benjamin Franklin began making his mark on the city of Philadelphia in 1723, establishing his home and print shop at 3rd and Market Street. At 4th St. and Arch, he founded The College of Philadelphia (now Penn), and signed the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania Assembly House at 4th and Chestnut.
At the time, the seven graduates of the class received Bachelor of Arts degrees in a private ceremony open only to faculty, trustees, and graduates—due to what was described as the ‘unsettled state of affairs.’
A sister of Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell, Penn’s Academy Bell has been secreted from the city during the Revolutionary War, signaled the start of class and the outbreak of fires, hung in a church tower, and stored in basements around Penn’s campus before going on display.
History course brings Philadelphia’s ‘Revolutionary Stories’ to life
In a partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania expanding students access to primary source documents, undergraduates examine the lives of regular Revolutionary-era Philadelphians.
A look inside the political economy of early America
Penn economist Fernando Arteaga shares insights into the factors that led to the American Revolution and the later institutions that created the strong U.S. national economy.
A course taught by Professor of History Roger Chartier and Kislak Center curator John Pollack took students on a journey through revolutions as told through writing, tackling issues of both political and societal change.
France, Haiti, and Philadelphia in a Revolutionary Age
American independence from Great Britain in 1776 set the stage for the first in a series of 18th century state constitutions; the United States Constitution was drafted in 1787, France followed in 1791, and Haiti’s constitution was established in 1801 following ten years of rebellion by enslaved Africans under French colonial rule.
How American English has evolved since the country’s founding
In honor of the 250th anniversary of America, Penn Today spoke with linguist Gareth Roberts about some of the ways that accents have emerged and word meanings have shifted since colonial times.
Arthur Ross Gallery to launch America 250 exhibition this fall
‘At Liberty: Life in the City of Brotherly Love During the Early Republic’ will be on view Aug. 28 through Dec. 31. The fall exhibition, located in the Arthur Ross Gallery, will consider the role of visual culture and perceptions of Philadelphia during the era of the Revolution.
A new exhibit at Penn’s Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing documents the long trajectory of nursing in America, going back to the Revolutionary War.
250 years in the making, Penn Libraries’ postal archives
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States Post Office, Penn Today highlights postal-related items in the Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections.
Penn archivist J.J. Ahern has been putting his professional experience and personal passion for the past to work as a volunteer for the Navy’s 250th anniversary curating an exhibition about the human side of the service’s history.
A historic ode to the Fourth of July—in the Penn Libraries
‘An Ode for the Fourth of July, 1788’ is a songsheet by 1757 graduate and Declaration of Independence signer Francis Hopkinson held in the Kislak Center. It represents an early celebration of a new nation and a reckoning with what patriotism in a burgeoning democracy should look like.
As we celebrate Independence Day and our nation’s 250th anniversary, Franklin’s timeless principles and vision continue to define Penn’s commitment to rigorous inquiry, useful knowledge, respectful dialogue across differences, and service to society. They guide our University’s efforts as we help shape a brighter future for our nation and the world. In that spirit, let us continue the good work, together.
