By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
Ken Burns’ phenomenal documentary series, “The American Revolution” opens with the underpinnings of the Revolution – the documents that turned grievance over land and taxes by 13 disparate colonies into a fight to the death over independence of a new nation, the United States of America, the first founded on the principle of “consent of the governed.” What is most remarkable is that many of those documents – Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” Paul Revere’s propagandist print of the Boston massacre, an early surviving print of the Declaration of Independence – are now on view, “in the flesh” so to speak, at the New York Historical.
The exhibit, “Declaring the Revolution: America’s Printed Path to Independence,” is New York Historical’s first in its series of exhibits focused on the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. This exhibit, featuring David M. Rubenstein’s Americana Collection, is on view through April 12, 2026.
You see the documents that provided the ideological and philosophical underpinnings for the Revolution and the founding of a new kind of government (by the people). And you see the documents that raised the rabble, forged a collective consciousness and identity, and inculcated the outrageous idea that a ragtag collection of colonial people of diverse race, ethnicity, religion and national origin could and should take on the most powerful empire on the globe.
Dr. Louise Mirrer, New York Historical’s President and CEO, noted the “unique urgency of now” to delve into how the American Revolution became “a war of ideals, in beliefs that Americans shared and believed important enough to fight and die for.”
“Declaring the Revolution traces the emergence of our nation through a shared belief in the power of the people and the promise of democracy,” Mirrer stated. “Through historical printings, the origins of the ‘American experiment’ are on display, allowing us to reflect on how we live and fulfill the ideals of our nation today. As stewards of history, The Historical is proud to kick off our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with this remarkable testament to record-keeping as we invite Americans nationwide to share and preserve their hopes for our democracy through our On Our 250th initiative.”
Declaring the Revolution portrays the arc of the struggle through 18th-century pamphlets, broadsides, engravings, proclamations, and books, each declaring an aspect of how the colonies achieved independence. In an era when print was the only form of mass communication, these printings furthered the democratic ambitions of Americans—the highest expression of this being the Declaration of Independence.
(It is also why the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on every piece of paper, from wills and pamphlets to newsprint, was such a factor in inspiring newspaper editors and pamphleteers to embrace independence and inspire colonials to see themselves as Americans with the ability to win an armed conflict against Great Britain, the most powerful empire in the world at the time.)
Declaring the Revolution demonstrates that America’s quest for independence was not only a military conflict, but also a battle of ideas that inspired colonists to fight and sacrifice for the promise of a sovereign new nation that adequately represented its citizenry.
Most affecting is getting to see (in person) two extraordinary printings of the Declaration: its exceedingly rare first newspaper appearance in the Pennsylvania Evening Post and the renowned State Department engraving of the original engrossed copy. Other highlights include Thomas Paine’s electrifying 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, which called for independence from Great Britain, and John Hancock’s 1774 oration honoring the Boston Massacre, the deadly confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists on March 5, 1770.
You get to see the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason in 1776, and shown in its uncommon earliest printing, which outlines the requirement of natural rights that influenced subsequent documents like the Declaration of Independence.
There is an exceptionally rare 1773 handbill printed by enslaved persons in Boston asks that the language of freedom apply to them and points out the incongruity of a land with bondage desiring to be liberated.
Also on display are key texts which provided the intellectual foundation for the Revolution; you actually see printings of the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights, as well as books by John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, among other philosophers.
There are also printings describing major events of the military conflict between Britain and the colonies including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Brooklyn, Washington’s victory at Trenton, and the Sieges of Charleston and Yorktown.
The documents are from the collection of David M. Rubenstein, who introduced them at the preview of the exhibit which opened November 14 saying, “Why do we need to see the documents, versus a computer image, to see in person?” He answered his own question saying that there is more of a visceral, emotional, engaged reaction to seeing something “in the flesh.”
“You might read about it, but are more likely to learn more by seeing the real thing. That’s why it is so important to preserve [these original documents].”
Rubenstein went on to reflect, “When this country was set up, no one thought it would last 250 years. Jefferson said to Madison that every 20 years, we should re-do the Constitution or the nation won’t last.
Nobody expected the United States – 13 colonies of 3 million (including 500,000 slaves) – to endure and even less likely, that it would become the military, cultural, financial [superpower] of the world. 250 years later, to look at the legacy, they would have been astounded.”
Then he reflected, “We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of country, but why was July 4th 1776 designated as its birthday? Why not 1775, or 1492 with Columbus’ arrival, or 1565 when St. Augustine was settled by Spain, or 1619 when the British came to Jamestown or 1620 when the Pilgrims established a home at Plymouth?
“Or even, August 2 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was formally signed [not on July 4th as we commonly think], and it wasn’t until 1777 when the last Founder signed. Or should we celebrate January 17, 1777 when those who signed it finally made it public that they did? (They didn’t earlier because they could be hung for treason.)
“The decision to break from England was July 2, 1776, so John Adams felt July 2nd would be celebrated. It was agreed to on July 4th, but they came back in August and signed it on August 2nd.”
Or should the founding of the nation be celebrated when the Constitution was finished in 1787, or 1788 when it was agreed to and ratified, establishing the format for government and the rights guaranteed in the first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights.
John Adams wanted the first anniversary of independence to be celebrated on July 2, 1777. Thomas Jefferson (who was not happy with the editing of the Declaration and didn’t even admit to having authored it until much later) wanted July 4th when the Declaration’s wording was adopted. This difference led to a schism between Adams and Jefferson.
“Well, they forgot to celebrate on July 2, so organized July 4 as a day of celebration and fireworks,” Rubenstein related.
“But July 4th won out as the birthday of the new nation because of a sentence that became most famous, and some have called the greatest ever written: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
“It is the creed we’ve tried to live up to for 250 years, a creed so many other nations have adopted. That sentence has become the symbol of the United States. I am proud to have some of these documents that live up to the creed.”
Rubenstein added: “My reason for collecting these original printings is to show them to the public to give Americans an opportunity to encounter our country’s impressive history and the accomplishments of those who came before us. The American Revolution was a civil war with Britain and a transformation in the hearts and minds of colonial inhabitants, who began to identify nationally with a new alliance of thirteen colonies built around the democratic principles that the United States holds most dear. To not remember these origins of our democracy is to risk losing our democracy.”
What you come away with, though – like the New York Historical’s just concluded “Blacklisted” exhibit – is how eerily and scarily we are to those times and complaints that led to rebellion – the first to break away from dynastic tyranny and replace it with self-rule – against an authoritarian regime.
Let’s also be reminded about the grievances against King George III listed in the Declaration of Independence that instigated not just protest, but revolution. Does this sound familiar (the summary compiled from A.I. query)?
- Taxation and trade: Imposing taxes without consent and cutting off colonial trade with other parts of the world.
- Legislative and judicial powers: Suspending legislatures, dissolving them for opposing his policies, and making judges dependent on his will.
- Military and justice: Quartering large numbers of armed troops in colonial homes, transporting colonists to be tried for “pretended offenses,” and protecting British soldiers from punishment for crimes committed in the colonies.
- Economic and political interference: Abolishing new forms of government, obstructing naturalization laws, and imposing new offices to “harass our people and eat out their substance”.
- Incitement of violence: Exciting domestic insurrections, inciting “merciless Indian savages” to attack colonists, and waging war against the people.
- Abuse of power: Vetoing laws necessary for the public good, and generally abusing power to establish a tyranny over the colonies
That’s the importance of preserving and studying history – and the original documents – and not enable whitewashing or literal brainwashing.
And it is good to be reminded of what it means to be American, what we value as Americans, what is precious and not to be taken for granted.
“I am grateful to The New York Historical for featuring these foundational documents ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” said Rubenstein. “The items on view bring new context to one of the most important documents ever written, giving insight into the minds of our Founding Fathers as they changed the course of history.”
The exhibition is curated by Mazy Boroujerdi, special advisor to the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection, which mounts non-partisan exhibitions of historically important printings to foster civic engagement and historical understanding, and is coordinated at The New York Historical by Valerie Paley, senior vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Declaring the Revolution marks the fourth exhibition produced by the Rubenstein Collection in conjunction with The New York Historical, where the Semiquincentennial will be celebrated with a yearlong schedule of exhibitions and programs.
With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching, The New York Historical is sharing messages of national hope and encouragement from the digital campaign On Our 250th, which invites individuals from across the country to post their personal wishes for America’s future. Launched online by The New York Historical in April 2025 in partnership with history museums and historic sites throughout the United States, On Our 250th has already received messages from people in 37 states, as well as Washington, DC and US territories. The exhibitions related to the 250th anniversary will take place over a 15-month period, from October 2025 to December 2026, in both The Historical’s main building and, starting summer 2026, its new Tang Wing for American Democracy.
Throughout the fall and winter, David M. Rubenstein will be in conversation with noted historians and scholars at The New York Historical. Visit the public programs calendar to learn more. Private group tours can also be arranged.
New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
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