Penn Libraries: America 250

The University of Pennsylvania, located in the heart of Philadelphia, was at the center of the dramatic events of 1776 and the Revolution that followed. 250 years later, partners across the university are exploring how history can help us better understand the present and create a sustainable and inclusive future.
The Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the Declaration of Independence, also being referred to across the country as America 250, provides the Penn community with an ideal opportunity to re-examine one of the founding documents of our country from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
The Penn Libraries are bringing together colleagues from across campus to recognize this anniversary through a range of programming—from exhibitions, art commissions, and performances to innovative courses and conferences—that engages with a number of important ideas raised by the Declaration that continue to resonate in our time.
Upcoming Events
- March 27: ASEF-PSOM Presents The American Revolution: Past, Present, and Future
- March 28: First Medical School in America: 1765
- March 31: “An inclination join’d with an ability to serve”: Realizing Franklin’s Vision for the University of Pennsylvania
- April 3: Open Studio Session: Ink and Flax in the Revolutionary Era
- April 4: First Stadium in America: 1895
- April 9-11: The Revolutionary Age: France, Haiti, and America
- April 14: Americanization Politics and the Yiddish Press
- April 15: “We Are the Bicentennial”: Democracy and Diversity in the 1970s
- April 17: Music in the Pavilion: A Song’s Journey from Haiti and Back
- April 18: Open House: Papermaking at Historic Rittenhouse Town
- April 26: Delbert Anderson Quartet
- April 29: Open Studio Session: Workers, Apprentices, and Unions in the Revolutionary Era
- May 1: Papermaking in Weitzman Plaza
- May 1: 2026 PARC Aging Retreat
- May 12: On the Importance of Coalitional Feminism to American Jewish History
- May 14-15: The 12-Hour Declaration of Independence: Community Typesetting
- May 16: American Revolution-Past, Present, and Future
- May 20-August 15: Print the Declaration of Independence
- May 26: A German-Jewish Guide to the American Discourse on Race Schocken Books and its Publications on Black-Jewish Relations, 1964-1974
- May 29-30: Martha Graham Dance Company
- October 2-3: Experiencing Independence: Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution
- October 10: First Peoples
- November 14: First University in America: 1740
- November 21: First Children’s Hospital in America: 1855
- December 12: First Weather Bureau: 1870
Upcoming Exhibits
- Penn Museum: Native North America Gallery
- Through February 21, 2026: We the People: Sam Maitin
- Through November 20, 2026: Nursing the Revolution
- Through August 9, 2026: The Shakers: A World in the Making
- Through May 15, 2026: Celebrate or Demonstrate: Philadelphia and Bicentennial Discontent
- Through May 22, 2026: Phil Parmet: Haitian Revolution
- Through July 6, 2026: The Time to Right all Wrongs: France, Haiti, and Philadelphia in a Revolutionary Age
For the full list of events, exhibits, and other projects, visit https://www.library.upenn.edu/america-250-penn.
To submit events and exhibits to the America 250 at Penn calendar, click here to fill out the programming form.