Penn Libraries has planned a series of performances, conferences, and exhibitions to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In partnership with several groups on campus, the events will take place alongside initiatives at museums and institutions across Philadelphia. According to Lynne Farrington, the director of programs and senior curator of special collections for Penn Libraries, the planning process for the Semiquincentennial series began in 2021.
“We hope that … by putting out exhibitions and other programming, we can get people to think about these kinds of things and understand more of the history of the country and where it comes from,” Farrington said in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
As part of the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Farrington leads programming for events honoring the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent American Revolution.
Other events include a discussion on Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” pamphlet and a lecture on the printing process of the Declaration of Independence. Another exhibition — open from February to July — will highlight the revolutions in France, Haiti, and Philadelphia, along with an exhibition by the Museum of the American Revolution.
History professor Emma Hart, who directs the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, participated in the “Common Sense at 250” panel on Jan. 15.
Hart told the DP that she aimed to help students come to terms with “the commonly understood ideas of the revolution as a basis for the nation” and why those ideas have been “contested” since 1776.
This spring, Hart will teach “Revolutionary Stories: Philadelphians and the American Revolution,” a course surrounding the stories of Philadelphia residents in 1776. The course is one of 15 specifically designed to celebrate the country’s anniversary.
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Manager of Penn’s Common Press Jessica Peterson is leading a year-long program intended to guide participants through the original printing process of the Declaration of Independence and create “historically accurate” replicas of the document. Peterson told the DP that students “using their hands” to make documents has “really activated their understanding of history in a different way.’
“It’s really important to understand American history because of the way the world is right now,” she said. “Thinking about what democracy means and what declaring independence from England meant are actually very active concepts right now.”
According to Sean Quimby — who serves as the associate vice provost and director of the Kislak Center — Penn itself is “a product of the American Revolution.”
“That’s why it’s important that the University make an effort to really engage with 2026,” he said in an interview with the DP. “The ideals, the actual individuals, are so much a part of our own founding and early development.”
According to its website, Penn Libraries hopes to use the programs to explore “how history can help us better understand the present and create a sustainable and inclusive future.”
In a Jan. 14 message to the campus community, Penn President Larry Jameson highlighted other ways the University will celebrate the anniversary, including the installation of new banners featuring Benjamin Franklin.
The National Constitution Center and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School will also host a symposium on Feb. 26 to examine the historical and contemporary significance of the Declaration of Independence.
The programs coincide with Philadelphia’s “52 Weeks of Firsts," which spotlights various moments and inventions throughout the city's history.
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Senior reporter Arti Jain covers state and local politics and can be reached at artijain@sas.upenn.edu. At Penn, she studies economics and political science. Follow her on X @arti_jain_.
