Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876

Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776-1876 is the permanent exhibition at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, located at 701 Arch Street. The museum opened during the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 as the first institution built by a major American city to preserve, interpret, and exhibit the heritage and culture of African Americans, and it's an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Audacious Freedom takes a fresh and bold look at the stories of people of African descent and their unheralded role in the founding of the nation. It focuses on the century between the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the end of Reconstruction, and it lets trailblazers like Octavius Catto and Richard Allen tell their own stories through technology, photographs, videos, and artifacts. Tours of the core exhibit run about 45 to 60 minutes, and you can take them with a docent or on your own.

Beyond the permanent collection, the museum's upper galleries host a rotating schedule of special exhibitions on African American history, social issues, and the African Diaspora. It also runs 'Learning Through the Arts' and 'AAMP on the Go!' workshops. The museum stands near the Liberty Bell, and its public sculptures, The Whispering Bells and Nisaka, are landmarks of the downtown historic district. If you're in the area, you can find the museum at 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.