ALBANY, NY.- The New York State Museum opens Revolutionary New York, a major new exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and bringing to life New York’s central role in shaping American democracy.
Opening to the public on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, and remaining on display for several years, the nearly 7,000-square-foot exhibition brings together more than 200 artifacts, rare documents, immersive displays, interactive elements, and powerful stories that connect the Revolution’s founding ideals to the continuing pursuit of freedom, equality, justice, and civic responsibility across generations.
Drawing on themes developed by the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission, Revolutionary New York invites visitors to see the state not only as a battleground of the American Revolution, but as a place where the meaning of liberty has been debated, challenged, expanded, and redefined for more than two centuries. The exhibition presents revolution as an ongoing American story, including the birth of the women’s suffrage movement in Seneca Falls, the Stonewall Uprising, emancipation and the Underground Railroad, labor rights, and environmental justice.
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “The Revolutionary New York exhibition reminds us that the promise of our nation has always been shaped by people willing to challenge injustice, expand opportunity, and demand that America live up to its founding ideals. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this enduring pursuit of a more perfect union is reflected in our commitment to equity and excellence in education, and to ensuring that every student can contribute to the future of their communities, to New York State, and to our country. Together, the Board of Regents, the State Education Department, the Office of Cultural Education, and the New York State Museum invite visitors to see history not as a closed chapter, but as an ongoing story of freedom, equality, and civic responsibility.”
Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “The New York State Museum is one of our state’s great educational institutions, and the addition of the Revolutionary New York exhibition underscores its enduring capacity to inspire learning, discovery, and reflection. This exhibit tells a unique story, connecting the ideals of the Revolution to generations of New Yorkers who carried that pursuit of freedom and equality forward through transformative movements, from the Underground Railroad to Seneca Falls to Stonewall and beyond. As we mark this historic anniversary, we are proud to offer students, families, educators, and visitors a meaningful opportunity to explore New York’s central role in shaping both our nation’s past and its future.”
New York State Museum Executive Director Jennifer Saunders said, “Few places were more central to the birth of our nation than New York. About one-third of the battles of the American Revolution were fought in present-day New York State, and Revolutionary New York honors and builds on that history to tell a broader story about liberty, representative government, equality, civic duty, and the generations of New Yorkers who have continued to give meaning to those ideals. We hope visitors leave with a deeper understanding of New York’s role in shaping American democracy and a renewed sense of their own place in carrying that work forward.”
250 Years of New York Revolutions
Guests entering the exhibit are welcomed by a women’s suffrage wagon used on Long Island, one of two known to exist. Once inside, visitors will encounter more than 200 artifacts exploring the state’s role in revolutions spanning three centuries. Rotating documents from the New York State Archives and Library ensures both public access and long-term preservation, while interactive elements, such as the opportunity to touch a six-pound British-made cannon, bring the Revolutionary era vividly to life.
Revolutionary New York is divided into five main sections.
Power of Place
Centered around a reconstructed Revolutionary War-era gunboat discovered beneath the site of the World Trade Center, this section invites visitors to explore events from the 1763 Treaty of Paris through the War of 1812, highlighting New York State’s critical role in the fight for liberty.
Interactive elements include the opportunity to:
Touch a six-pound, British-made cannon recovered in 1986 from the U.S. Assay site in Lower Manhattan. The cannon rests atop a replica artillery sled constructed by students at WSWHE BOCES, modeled after those used by Henry Knox to transport cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston
Choosing Sides
The left side of the gallery examines how diverse groups and individuals navigated the Revolution. Men, women, soldiers, civilians, enslaved Africans, free African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and others were all affected by the Revolution and had to balance the social, economic, and political changes wrought by the war.
Artifacts include:
• Chains that spanned the Hudson River to prevent British ships from sailing north from New York City
• Fidelity Medallion presented to Issac Van Wart after he and two other militiamen captured British Major John Andre
Revolutionary Ideas Over Time
The next section focuses on the legacy of Revolutionary ideals in ongoing movements for equality and justice, as well as the enduring role of the press.
Visitors will explore:
• Audio recordings from modern revolutionaries, including Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Shirley Chisholm
• A replica printing press from the bicentennial
• Rotating original materials from the New York State Archives and Library, including a 1912 petition in favor of women’s suffrage
Founding of the Nation
Guests will then examine how New Yorkers helped shape the founding of the United States while confronting contradictions between the nation’s ideals and realities.
Artifacts from early state and federal history include:
• A gavel reportedly used by Walter Livingston to convene the first New York State Assembly in 1777
• George Washington’s watch chain
• A mahogany side chair used in Federal Hall during Washington’s inauguration
• A replica of the pipe tomahawk George Washington is believed to have presented Cornplanter; the original was returned to the Seneca Nation in 2020
We the People
The right side of the gallery is devoted to major movements for social change following the Revolution, including women’s suffrage, abolition and civil rights, immigration, labor rights, environmental justice, and LGBTQ+ equality.
Each movement is represented through dedicated displays featuring items such as:
• A pulpit from Holy Cross Church in Troy, NY, circa 1835
• A one-third-scale model of the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument
• A full-size Volkswagen Beetle painted in bright rainbow-colored stripes
