These Truths: The Declarations of Independence

FAIN: TA-309931-26

American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia, PA 19106-3309)
Michelle Craig McDonald (Project Director: July 2025 to April 2026)
Mary Grace Wahl (Project Director: April 2026 to present)

An exhibit displaying three rarely viewed copies of the Declaration of Independence and a public conference for America’s 250th.

The American Philosophical Society (APS) requests $200,000 to support the development, installation, and public interpretation of These Truths: The Declarations of Independence, an exhibition scheduled for April 2026-January 2027, as well as an accompanying catalogue and public conference. Grounded in scholarly research, and the contributions of leading scholars and public history collaborators, These Truths explores events that led up to July 1776, what the Declaration meant for multiple audiences at the time it was ratified and disseminated, and why it remained a national symbol throughout the 19th century. Many important and rarely seen versions of the Declaration, all drawn from the APS collections, will be on display together for the first time, including a hand-written draft by Thomas Jefferson and the chair he sat in while doing so. Together these materials and other artifacts allow visitors to understand the history and legacy of the document proclaiming the nation’s founding.