Revolutionary Legacies: Exhibition Opening

The last of three 250^th special exhibitions at the Concord Museum, Revolutionary Legacies will trace how Concord’s role in the Revolution has been remembered over time and how it has been taken up as a national symbol. The exhibition will explore the history of past commemorations in Concord, the creation of national myths and legends around the war and its earliest battles, and the different meanings the Revolution has held at various moments in the nation’s history. Featured objects and stories will include ceramics, textiles, and relics saved during the early 19th century, including celebrations of the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 and calls to preserve the legacy of the Revolution; historic clothing, ephemera, and other objects connected to commemorations in 1875 and 1925, at crucial moments for ideas about national unity, race, and citizenship; and the use of symbolic figures such as the Minuteman and Paul Revere in national propaganda throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, including advertisements for war bonds during World War II and the naming of the “Minuteman Missile” during the Cold War. Coinciding with the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Revolutionary Legacies presents a critical reflection on how the nation’s founding principles have been continuously reinterpreted over the past 250 years and invites visitors to consider what they mean today.