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Exploring the Declaration through ink and type
A hand preparing letterpress off a small paper with text.

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Exploring the Declaration through ink and type

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.

3 min. read

Connecting with America’s 250th anniversary
The Declaration of Independence at the National Archives

The Declaration of Independence on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

(Image: Mark Schiefelbein via AP Images)

Connecting with America’s 250th anniversary

Ahead of the main event on July 4, 2026, marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Penn students, faculty, and staff will have multiple early opportunities to engage with America’s 250th anniversary.

3 min. read

Bringing the US Navy’s 250-year history to life
J.J. Ahern stands in a storage area in the University Archives.

Penn archivist J.J. Ahern.

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Bringing the US Navy’s 250-year history to life

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.

3 min. read

The welcoming student team behind Penn’s orientation week
Four students walking through Penn Commons, three pushing Move-In carts.

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The welcoming student team behind Penn’s orientation week

As part of New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives, a group of nine undergraduates have been working since June to help shape the design, development, and planning of the New Student Orientation experience for the incoming Class of 2029.

3 min. read

Penn prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday
A brick building with white windows is seen against a blue sky. An American flag flies to the left, and a clock sits in the cupola at the center.

Penn is planning two years of events around the Semiquincentennial theme, which marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

(Image: iStock/Pgiam)

Penn prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday

Next year, the nation will celebrate the Semiquincentennial marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the lead up to celebrations, Penn faculty, staff, and students will have a role to play.