The United States of America was forged in the meeting halls and on the battlefields of the American Revolution, which established our republican form of government and committed the new country to ideals of liberty, equality, natural and civil rights, and responsible citizenship. Over eight long years, the Revolutionary War was fought across large swaths of North America and beyond, involving the militaries of at least five nations. It touched the lives and families of nearly everyone in what would become the United States, yet the full scope of who participated in our Revolution and the effects it had on those who fought in it remains less understood.
In 2026, as we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the exhibition Voices of Revolution explores the variety of people who participated in the Revolutionary War and some of the battlefields where their paths crossed. From well-known battles at Yorktown and Brandywine to lesser-known engagements like Young’s House, New York, and Pensacola, Florida, the exhibition uses battlefields to explore the human experience—what individuals saw and did, where they came from and why, how the war impacted them, and how they impacted the war—using their words, belongings and likenesses.
The exhibition Voices of Revolution and a companion digital interactive draw from the collections of the American Revolution Institute as well as other museums and private collectors to feature the complex and compelling stories of numerous individuals who participated in the Revolutionary War in different ways and on different sides of the conflict, as a soldier, sailor, laborer or observer. Together, these stories offer a broader picture of the kinds of people—American, French, British, Loyalist, Female, Black, Native American, German, Spanish—who took part in the American Revolution and underscore the scale and importance of this event at the heart of our national identity.
Special thanks to the top supporters of this exhibition:
Ambassadors
Hannah C. Cox • Lorna Hainesworth • Randall A. Hammond and Andrew J. Thomas • Jennifer B. London, Ph.D. • Members of the Museum Committee of the American Revolution Institute • Mrs. William H. Savage in memory of William H. Savage • The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire • Ambassador Trevor Dow Traina
Principals
The Daughters of the Cincinnati • Philip S. Reese • Michael and Laura Schenk
Benefactors
Mrs. Connie Baldwin and the late Mr. Gil Baldwin • Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati • One Hundred Living Descendants of Blood Royal • Mr. Mervin Sánchez-Maldonado • Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Seefried • Stephen P. Shaw • Col. Allen E. Weh, USMC (Ret.)
Leaders
Anonymous Donor • Georgina Owen and Outerbridge Horsey • Muffin and John M. Lynham, Jr. • Will and Colleen McCrary • Charles E. McNeill IV • F. Anderson Morse • David J. Saylor • Society of the Cincinnati of the State of South Carolina
Patrons
Anonymous Donor • M. Tyus Butler, Jr. • Mr. and Mrs. Christopher A. Cerone • Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Jeffries • Ross Perry • Hugh L. Robinson II • Samuel B. Sterrett, Jr.
Support the Exhibition
This exhibition is only possible thanks to generous philanthropy. To support this museum exhibition, please click below to make a tax-deductible donation to the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati, Inc.
Donate Now