American Revolution 250 Years from the Declaration of Independence

American Revolution 250 Years from the Declaration of Independence opens at the British Library on Monday 29 June 2026 and runs until Sunday 17 January 2027. It's a display marking the 250th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence, and you'll find it in the Treasures Gallery (the Sir John Ritblat Gallery) as part of the library's permanent Treasures collection.

The display traces how the Declaration came into being and how its assertion that 'all men are created equal' has shaped debates, inspired movements and been interpreted over the past 250 years. It draws on unique items from the library's own collections, including letters, maps and other documents from the American Revolution, and shows how civil rights leaders like Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. drew on the Declaration's ideals in their fight for freedom and equality.

Because it's part of the Treasures gallery, it's open during the library's regular building opening hours, so you can drop in whenever suits you rather than working around a specific time slot. Entry is free and no booking is required, which makes it an easy one to fit in around other things. It'll be there for over six months, from late June through to mid-January, so there's plenty of time to catch it if you're not in the city over the summer.