Revolutionary Echoes in Washington

In Revolutionary Echoes in Washington, artworks and artifacts from the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection explore how American independence echoed across Washington’s early history, from the revolutionary era to the Civil War to the country’s 1876 centennial.

A hand-colored reproduction of the Declaration on display illustrates how the document was circulated among East Coast Americans, including Washingtonians. Early maps of the District, created by revolutionary patriots, as well as letters related to city planning, show how the Declaration’s ideals were translated into the physical and political design of the capital.

Other works in the exhibition examine the contradictions at the heart of the revolutionary project. Abolitionists drew on the Declaration’s assertion that “all men are created equal” to challenge slavery, as seen in an 1836 woodcut print, The Slave Market of America, published by the American Anti-Slavery Society. Revolutionary Echoes in Washington traces how the Declaration’s promises served as both a guiding principle and a point of tension in the development of the capital city. 

Acknowledgments

This exhibition was organized by the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies with support from the Albert and Shirley Small Family Foundation.