The Museum of the American Revolution opened its doors to the public Wednesday, April 19, 2017, with a ceremony beginning at 8:00 a.m. Festivities included representatives from the original thirteen colonies in period attire, observances from three historic congregations–Mother Bethel AME, Mikveh Israel, and Christ Church Philadelphia–and a procession of states and dignitaries from Independence National Park to the MoAR on Third Street. Ray Halbritter, representing the Oneida Indian Nation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough, and Sydney James Harcourt, one of the original cast members from Hamilton, preluded a keynote address by former Vice President Joe Biden.
The museum is reported to center the stories of Native peoples, free and enslaved blacks, and women, groups traditionally neglected in narratives about our nations’ beginnings. The Journal of the American Revolution recently previewed the museum:
At the start of the Museum experience, an orientation video depicts differing perspectives from founding mother Abigail Adams to Mohawk leader Joseph Brant to free black Continental soldier Lemuel Hayes. The orientation piece, and the Museum as a whole, effectively recognizes the dichotomy of a revolution born from the desire for freedom despite the lack of rights and freedoms for native peoples, women, and slaves. The concluding message is hopeful, however, in communicating that the memory and spirit of the Revolution must be kept alive in America so that her populace continues to fight for freedom and rights for all of her inhabitants.
Museum of the American Revolution is located at 101 S. 3rd Street in Philadelphia. For tickets and all related information, visit www.amrevmuseum.org.