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Visitors of the Museum of the American Revolution in the Liberty Tree gallery which features a Liberty Tree

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Dark grey sheet of iron with arched top, and engraved with a lion, unicorn, crown, and other royal insignia.

Symbols of the British empire decorated household goods of all kinds. This iron fireback, cast in a New Jersey foundry in 1746, displayed the Royal Arms of King George II (1727-1760). Firebacks served both practical and decorative purposes in the homes of colonial Americans. The cast iron plate radiated heat into the room and prevented the bricks at the back of the fireplace from crumbling due to high temperatures.

This cast iron fireback, used to radiate heat and made in a New Jersey foundry in 1746, displayed the Royal Arms of King George II (1727-1760).

Oxford Furnace Fireback

Collection Highlight: Christopher Ludwick's Cookie Board

Rectangular wooden cookie press featuring a recessed carving of a woman wearing an intricate gown

Rectangular wooden cookie press featuring a recessed carving of flowers and leaves in a decorative vase.

Christopher Ludwick (1720-1801), a native of Hesse-Darmstadt in the German-speaking region of central Europe, established a bakery in Philadelphia in 1754. Ludwick would later take an active role in the American revolutionary movement and serve as Superintendent of Bakers in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His descendants carefully preserved this carved wooden cookie board, or mold, as a memento of their ancestor's role in the founding of the United States.

This carved wooden cookie press or mold once belonged to Christopher Ludwick, who served as Superintendent of Bakers in the Continental Army.

Christopher Ludwick's Cookie Board

Amidst ongoing tensions between Great Britain and France in their American colonies and abroad, 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington of Virginia accidentally sparks the French and Indian War, leading to the global conflict known as the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

French and Indian War

Magnified overhead view of musket's lock and barrel, with the word "London" engraved at the base of the barrel

Collection Highlight: Musket Marked "New Jersey"

Profile view of flintlock musket with a shiny wooden stock, weathered steel and iron barrel and firing mechanism, and brass detailing

Magnified overhead view of musket's lock and its attachment to the stock and barrel

Magnified image of a musket's wooden butt, decorated with a brass butt plate marked with the words "New Jersey"

Richard Wilson's London gunmaking firm produced military arms for the colony of New Jersey during and after the French and Indian War. Many of these arms were retained in the colony's arsenal after the conflict with France and were later issued to New Jersey forces at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. This well-preserved example is marked NEW JERSEY on the butt plate and S/3 on the wrist plate, denoting government ownership in the former case and the individual company letter and weapon number in the latter.

This musket marked “NEW JERSEY” was produced by Richard Wilson’s London gunmaking business during and after the French and Indian War, or Seven Years' War.

New Jersey Musket

Side view of powder horn showing engraving of three ships with sails raised running lengthwise along horn

Revolution Around the World: Spain and the American Revolution

Side view of powderhorn showing engraving of a fort

This powder horn, engraved with a walled city, flags, and a crown symbol, commemorates the July 7, 1763, British evacuation of Havana on the island of Cuba, marking the end of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Sparked by a May 1754 skirmish involving a 22-year-old George Washington, the Seven Years' War became a global conflict with fighting in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Most American colonists felt intense pride as members of the great British Empire that had defeated France and Spain, but British efforts to raise revenue and tighten control in the colonies soon turned joy into despair.

This engraved powder horn commemorates the July 7, 1763, British evacuation of Havana, Cuba, marking the end of the Seven Years' War.

Havana Powder Horn

The Treaty of Paris between Great Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal ends the Seven Years' War, leaving Great Britain with title to vast French and Spanish territories in North America.

Treaty of Paris

Mug with the words "Wilkes and Liberty," the abbreviation for "Number" and the number "45", all encircled by a red and black floral motif

Collection Highlight: "Wilkes and Liberty No 45" Mug

Mug handle and partial view of a red and black floral motif to the right of the handle

Mug handle and partial view of a red and black floral motif to the left of the handle

John Wilkes (1725-1797), a British journalist and politician, was a vocal critic of the King and a supporter of American rights. Americans adopted slogans and symbols related to Wilkes, such as this mug decorated with his name, “Liberty,” and “45.” The “45” was a reference to Wilkes’s 45th edition of The North Briton newspaper in which he made what some considered a “seditious and libel[ous]” attack on King George III’s 1763 speech at the opening of <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament.

This mug is decoracted with the name and symbols of John Wilkes, a British politician who was a critic of King George III and supporter of American rights.

Wilkes and Liberty Mug

"Wilkes and Liberty" Mug

Hoping to prevent a renewal of violence with the French and Native Americans, Great Britain establishes a line of forts along the Appalachian Mountains and prohibits new British American settlement west of the line. The substantial cost of the troops to staff these forts puts pressure on the British government to raise money by taxing British American colonists.

Proclamation Line of 1763

Collection Highlight: James Grant's Basket Hilt Backsword

Square of paper embossed with the words "I.I. Shillings V.I. Pence" and surrounded by British royal symbols and the word America.

Magnified image of the hilt of a sword with a decorated basket made of tarnished metal

James Grant, a Scotsman in the British Army, carried this basket-hilted backsword as an officer in the 77th Regiment of Foot. In the 1763 conflict known as Pontiac’s Rebellion, Grant’s regiment battled Native Americans from the Great Lakes region who were fighting for their own <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Independence" data-def="Relying on oneself and no longer being affiliated to or controlled by others. Interior Inside. When used in relation to 18th century American geography, interior generally means away from the Atlantic Coast, towards the frontier of the American colonies.">independence and against the continued colonization of their homelands. The rebellion lasted two years, until the British agreed to respect their alliances between Native Americans to govern themselves.

James Grant, a Scotsman in the British Army, carried this basket-hilted broadsword as an officer in the 77th Regiment of Foot during Pontiac’s Rebellion.

James Grant Basket Hilt Backsword

<span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament adopts a Sugar Act to regulate trade and raise revenue within their expanded empire. Colonists who depend on trade protest that the duties on sugar violate their right to consent to their own taxation. Others are concerned because accused smugglers will be tried without a jury. And some protest that the act supports slavery on Caribbean sugar plantations.

Sugar Act

A Closer Look with Philip Mead

It's hard to believe that this little blue piece of paper less than 2 inches on each side tore apart an empire, but in a way that's what happened. Now, the Stamp Act of 1765 caused one of the first really significant rifts with Great Britain. The Stamp Act was literally a tax on paper. It was a pretty extensive coverage of types of paper that were taxed by the American stamp tax, so land transactions, court documents, newspapers, playing cards, what have you.The British used two main types of stamps for the American stamp tax. One was an embossed stamp like this one. Meaning that a pattern was pressed into the paper and it has a texture or a kind of elevated pattern. And the other is an ink stamp kind of like today's rubber stamps where you have an ink pad and you stamp a pattern into it and then the stamp ink right on the page of paper.In 1765, the British imposed the American Stamp Act, and you can see this is one of those American stamp back stamps because it says America in a ribbon across the top above this crown. It also has the amount that this particular stamp cost-- two-shillings and sixpence.The Americans objected to this stamp because not because of the type of taxation or the way the stamp looked or anything like that. They objected because parliament had adopted that Stamp Act, and the Americans had no representation in parliament. So they called the Stamp Act taxation without representation.

Zoomed in to Square of paper embossed with the words "I.I. Shillings V.I. Pence" and surrounded by British royal symbols and the word America.

Paper stamp printed with a crown, the initials "G" and "R," the number "137," and decorative flourishes

Intended to help support the British regiments left to defend the American colonies after the French and Indian War, <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament passed the Stamp Act tax on March 22, 1765. Stamps, which proved the tax was paid, were to be applied to all legal documents, newspapers, and pamphlets, as well as playing cards and dice. Many Americans thought the tax was unfair and opposed it. Protests broke out in almost every colony, sometimes violently targeting stamp collectors and other government officials. The protests were successful and the Stamp Act was repealed on March 11, 1766, never having taken full effect in the American colonies.

Stamps like this were to be applied to all legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and more to prove the tax had been paid in accordance with the Stamp Act.

Stamp Act Stamp

Collection Highlight: Patrick Henry's Law Books

Book opened to its title page, beginning "The Third Part of Modern Reports, Being a Collection of Several Special Cases in the Court of King's Bench"

Virginian Patrick Henry, an advocate of colonial American rights within the British Empire and author of the 1765 Stamp Act Resolutions, owned this volume of English court cases. A fierce opponent of taxation without representation, Henry later delivered a stirring speech before the Virginia House of Burgesses in March 1775 that included the famous line: "Give me Liberty, or Give me Death."

Listed in Virginia politician Patrick Henry’s 1799 estate inventory were these five English law books, three of which bear Henry’s printed bookplate.

Patrick Henry's Law Books

Small rectangular pincushion decorated with tassels at three corners and a floral design in the center created by pinheads

Back side of a small rectangular pincushion with tassels at three corners

This pillow-shaped pincushion was likely given to Mary and Persifor Frazer at the birth of their first child, Sarah, in 1769. Sarah later wrote a <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Memoir" data-def="A collection of selected memories, reflections, or stories written by a person about their life. Memoirs are generally less comprehensive than autobiographies and may revolve around one or a set of specific themes.">memoir including the story of her mother's secret delivery of a letter from her father, who had been captured by the British Army, to George Washington. The letter alerted Washington to the poor conditions of the American prisoners.

This pillow-shaped pincushion was likely given to Mary and Persifor Frazer at the birth of their first child, Sarah, in 1769.

Frazer Family Pincushion

Immediately after repealing the Stamp Act in response to American protests, <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament adopts the Declaratory Act, asserting its right to make laws for American colonists “in all cases whatsoever.” In other words, Parliament may have repealed the Stamp Act, but it still had the right to impose taxes on the colonists.

Declaratory Act

The Townshend Acts, a series of laws enacted by the British <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament to assert and exercise its right to raise revenue in the colonies and strengthen enforcement of trade regulations, spark renewed protests in many American communities.

Townshend Acts

The landing of British troops in Boston, Massachusetts, energizes anti-British political sentiment. Street protests and confrontations lead to the March 5, 1770, Boston Massacre.

British Troops in Boston

George Mason's book, opened to its title page

Collection Highlight: George Mason's Roman History Books

Two worn, leatherbound books stacked atop one another

Virginian George Mason, a statesman and American patriot later known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights," acquired this volume of ancient Roman history by the author and historian Livy (Titus Livius) in 1749. Mason and other members of America's founding generation were careful students of history and looked to the example of ancient Rome for guidance on the structure and operation of republican government. George Mason died in 1792; his son, Thomas Mason, probably added his own signature and the year of his father's passing to the title page at that time. Also visible is the faded ink inscription "Gunston," the name of the Mason home on the banks of the Potomac River south of George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Virginia statesman George Mason owned this volume of ancient Roman history by the author and historian Livy (Titus Livius).

Ancient Roman History Book from George Mason's Library

After years of rising tensions between Bostonians and British soldiers in the city, violence erupts on the night of March 5, 1770. A crowd attacks a British guard, five soldiers and an officer come to relieve him, and someone yells "Fire." Their gunfire kills three people, mortally wounds two, and injures six others.

Boston Massacre

Front view of white bowl featuring imagery of men, animals, flowers, and geometric designs on the inside and outside. The words "Arms of Liberty" appear above one grouping of men on the bowl's exterior.

Side view of white bowl showing a grouping of two men and a mythical creature; other groupings and floral decor appear next to this group

Side view of white bowl with a green and pink floral decoration

Overhead view of white bowl with a multi-colored floral decoration painted in the bottom of the bowl

This porcelain punch bowl was made and decorated in China around 1770 for export to Britain and its American colonies. The design on the exterior of the bowl was intended to poke fun at those who had opposed the English politician John Wilkes (1727-97), a proponent of English civil liberties, parliamentary reform, and American rights. Wilkes was elected to the House of Commons several times, but was repeatedly expelled for attacking King George III and his loyalists. American patriots, including Boston's Sons of Liberty, rallied to the cry of "Wilkes and Liberty!" and incorporated his name and likeness into broadsides, drinking bowls, cuff links, and other items.

This porcelain punch bowl, made in China for export to Britain and the American colonies, poked fun at those opposed to English politician John Wilkes.

Arms of Liberty Punch Bowl

"Arms of Liberty" Punch Bowl

Transcript of John Chandler's Commission

Collection Highlight: John Chandler Commission

Stained and creased handwritten document marked with a red wax seal on the left side

As one of the oldest colonies in British North America, Connecticut (founded in the 1630s) had a long tradition of <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Self-government" data-def="The act of governing oneself without the interference or control of an outside authority. Usually used to describe a nation or state’s self-governance, which includes collaboration, constitutionally ordered decision-making, and discussion among individuals.">self-government that encouraged many of its citizens to support resistance to British taxation and other measures. Connecticut native John Chandler (1736-1795) studied theology and medicine at Yale College as a young man, then served as a physician and occasional preacher before serving in the colonial <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Legislature" data-def="The part of a country or state government placed in charge of creating laws. Often referred to as the Legislative Branch of government.">legislature from 1771 to 1773. Chandler received this military commission in the colonial <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Militia" data-def="An armed group of people gathered and trained at the local level for the defense of that community. Militias are typically regulated by local governments.">militia in 1771 and later served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The commission is signed by Jonathan Trumbull Sr., one of only two colonial governors who continued to serve after American <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Independence" data-def="Relying on oneself and no longer being affiliated to or controlled by others. Interior Inside. When used in relation to 18th century American geography, interior generally means away from the Atlantic Coast, towards the frontier of the American colonies.">Independence was declared in 1776. Governor Trumbull's son, John (1756-1843), gained fame as a historical painter who specialized in the history of the American Revolution.

Connecticut native John Chandler received this military commission in the colonial militia in 1771 and later served in the Continental Army.

John Chandler Commission

Wheatley's book of poetry open to show its title page on the right and a black and white portrait of Phillis Wheatley on the left

A Closer Look with Adrienne Whaley

This is a pretty simple object. It's really unassuming. There are no ornate decorations on it. In fact, there's really no decorations on it at all. But this book is hugely significant because this is a book of published poems written by a young woman named Phillis Wheatley. Phillis Wheatley was the first woman of African descent to have a book of poems published in the Western world.And not only is this book written by Phillis Wheatley, but this is a first edition of that book. And this book was signed by Phillis Wheatley herself. Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa. When Wheatley was a young child, she was transported across the Atlantic Ocean as a part of the transatlantic slave trade. And when she was around seven or eight-years-old, she was purchased by the Wheatley family off of a ship called the Phillis. Which explains how she got the name, Phillis Wheatley.Now, the Wheatley's truly believed in education. And their children Mary and Nathaniel were in the process of being highly educated. While Mary took it upon herself to make sure that Phillis was exposed to what she was learning. And in particular, that she learned how to read. Phillis then took that knowledge and taught herself how to write.Phillis became very good at writing. And by the late 1760s, her letters and poems were already beginning to appear in newspapers in New England and the Northern colonies. But there were people who didn't believe that a person of African descent like Phillis actually had the creative ability to be producing those letters in poems. They thought, surely, somebody else must be writing them, instead of her.When the Wheatley's tried to get a book of Phillis' poetry published, they ran into a lot of difficulties. Ultimately, they needed to get a group of prominent citizens in Massachusetts together to write a letter or attestation saying that they truly believed that Phillis was, in fact, the author of these works. It's really frustrating to know that, that was necessary. But it does lead me to one of my favorite things about this object, her signature.At a time when many people did not believe that people of African descent had the creative and intellectual abilities to write the sort of works that Phyllis was, she proved to the stereotypes that they held about people like her were wrong. And while we don't know why Phyllis decided to sign this copy of her book, when I look at it, it seems to say to me, that she in that moment was feeling like I am here. I did this. And this is mine.

Collection Highlight: Phillis Wheatley's Poetry

Closed book showing scratches and fading on its brown leather cover

Why the Revolution: Phillis Wheatley's Signed Book

This book of poetry, written by Phillis Wheatley, first African American woman published poet, was lauded in both Europe and the American colonies as an example of the artistic and intellectual equality of <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="People of African Descent" data-def="A phrase that encompasses both African-born men, women, and children, and those who were born in the British North American colonies or elsewhere but who had African ancestors.">people of African descent. Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa and was seized as a child and transported to North America on a slave ship known as The Phillis, for which she was later renamed. <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Enslaved" data-def="Owned by another person. Saying “enslaved person” rather than “slave” can remind people of the humanity of the person who is in the condition of being owned by another person.">Enslaved and educated in the household of Boston merchant John Wheatley, she began writing beautiful and complex poetry about religion, nature, politics, race, slavery, art, and literature. This original copy of her work, published in 1773, is autographed by Wheatley.&nbsp;

This original copy of Poems on Various Subjects, published in 1773, was written and signed by Phillis Wheatley, the first published African-American author.

Phillis Wheatley's Poetry Book

A crowd disguised as Mohawk Indians dump more than 300 crates of British East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. Outrage in Britain leads to passage of the so-called Coercive Acts, while in the American colonies other tea parties follow. In January and December 1774, crowds in Princeton and Greenwich, New Jersey, burn piles of tea.

Boston Tea Party

Small wooden box, with lid open to show compartments of metal weights inside; Also a small scale and a slip of paper that begins with the text "Weight of a Gold Piece of the United States of America"

Scratched and worn small wooden box whose closed lid is marked with the words "James Boone, junior" and beneath this, the date "A.D. 1773"

With hard currency in short supply, the coins of many nations circulated throughout the British colonies. Pennsylvanian James Boone Jr. pasted a printed table (probably clipped from a pocket almanac) showing the value and weight of various coins inside the lid of his money scale. In 1773, the year that he boldly inscribed his name on the outside of the wooden case, James' cousin, Daniel Boone, made the first attempt by British colonists to establish a settlement in Kentucky.

The coins of many nations circulated throughout the British colonies, thus scales like this helped determine the value and weight of various coins.

James Boone's Money Scale

Why the Revolution: Potty Talk

A Closer Look with Tyler Putman

This is a chamber pot. It's been broken into pieces and reassembled here at the museum. 250 years ago someone lost it or dropped it here on the site of the museum as part of their trash. People lived here. And before we opened our building, we excavated into the ground looking for traces of past lives.This particular chamber pot is a gray ceramic, with beautiful blue decorations. And embossed on one side, in raised letters, GR, Georgius Rex, King George.What would you do if there wasn't a toilet in your house? One solution in the 1700s was using a chamber pot. This one is a replica, it's not as fragile as the one we have on display with GR on the side of it.And it would have been the job of someone like a kid, or a servant, or an enslaved person to empty the household chamber pots every morning. They might take them out behind the house and dump them into a hole in the ground, a privy, that was your outdoor toilet. And maybe that was how ours ended up thrown out here on our site, dropped and discarded.You might be used to wearing logos and symbols on your clothing today on a baseball cap, or putting a sticker on the side of your water bottle. But can you imagine loving something so much that you put its symbol on the outside of your toilet? That's exactly what someone did with a chamber pot they used right here in Philadelphia in the 1770s. People were so enthusiastic about the young King George III, and about British monarchy, that they put his symbols on all sorts of things, even on the outside of their chamber pots.

Broken and reconstructed blue and white pot with pieces missing

Collection Highlight: "GR" Chamber Pot

Detail of pot featuring the letters "G" and "R" inside a painted blue flower

Side view of broken and reconstructed blue and white pot showing spaces where missing pieces belong

At the same time they protested the taxes imposed by <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament, many Americans saw King George III as the protector of their rights as British citizens. Americans proudly used and displayed a wide range of household objects decorated with symbols representing the king. One of the most common symbols was “GR,” short for Georgius Rex or George the King. “GR” was often used on ceramics, including mugs, jugs, and chamber pots (portable indoor toilets), like this one.

A common symbol representing King George III was “GR,” short for Georgius Rex or George the King, often found on household items like this chamber pot.

GR Chamber Pot

"GR" Chamber Pot

Adopted by <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Parliament" data-def="An assembly of individuals functioning as the legislative branch of the British government. British Parliament consisted of a House of Lords and a House of Commons.">Parliament between March 31 and June 2, 1774, the four Coercive Acts punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and make an example of it for other colonists. The acts close the port of Boston to trade, suspend its colonial <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Legislature" data-def="The part of a country or state government placed in charge of creating laws. Often referred to as the Legislative Branch of government.">legislature and town meetings, establish a military governorship, and require all colonies to house British soldiers.

Coercive Acts

The First Continental Congress, a convention of 56 <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Delegates" data-def="A person who is appointed by a governing body or elected by voters to represent them at a conference or a convention. In elected government, it is often used synonymously with “representative.”">delegates from 12 British-American colonies, convenes in Philadelphia to consider a coordinated response to the Intolerable Acts.

First Continental Congress

Pride and Protest

Inside the Declaration of Independence gallery featuring a copy of the Declaration of Independence

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Magnified overhead view of rifle's lock and barrel, with the words "C. Oerter. C. SP. 1774" engraved at the base of the barrel

Collection Highlight: Rifle Made by John Christian Oerter

Magnified overhead image of the intersection of the rifle's lock, stock, barrel, and butt.

Moravian gunsmith John Christian Oerter (also known in German as Johann Christian Oerter) made this rifle at his workshop in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia. Settled by German-speaking immigrants in the 1740s, the Lehigh Valley became a rifle-making center long before the Revolutionary War. Riflemen from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania joined the newly formed Continental Army in 1775 armed with highly accurate rifles like this one. John Adams described these men as “the most accurate Marksmen in the World.”

Moravian gunsmith John Christian Oerter (also known in German as Johann Christian Oerter) made this rifle at his workshop in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

John Christian Oerter Rifle

Front page of newspaper with three columns of small text below the title and an image of a snake separated into pieces

Magnified image of an ink stamp on a newspaper, featuring a snake cut into labeled pieces above the words "Unite Or Die"

Philadelphia printer William Bradford used his weekly newspaper, The Pennsylvania Journal, to encourage resistance to British taxation and other measures that threatened American colonists' traditional English liberties. This issue of the Journal from January 1775 bears the image of a rattlesnake cut into pieces, each representing an American colony or colonies, with the words "Unite or Die." Fellow Philadelphia printer Benjamin Franklin first used the image of a disjointed snake to encourage colonial unity against France in 1754.

This issue of Philadelphia printer William Bradford's weekly newspaper, The Pennsylvania Journal, shows a rattlesnake cut into pieces with "Unite or Die."

Pennsylvania Journal Newspaper with "Unite or Die" Image

Full-length side view of musket, showing its lock

This musket, made by Philadelphia gunsmith Thomas Palmer, is believed to have been one of the 40 muskets ordered by George Washington in January 1775 for the Prince William County Independent Company in Virginia. The First Continental Congress (September-October 1774) tried to secure the repeal of the "Intolerable Acts" by creating the Continental Association in order to enforce a boycott of British imported goods. Local "committees of safety" were charged with enforcing the boycott, and in many colonies, voluntary military organizations were formed to prepare for possible armed conflict. In Virginia, George Washington played an important role in organizing these military units — known as "independent companies." Between December 1774 and May 1775, Washington helped to purchase arms, uniforms, flags, and drill manuals for a number of independent companies in Northern Virginia. As one of the most experienced military leaders in the colony, Washington served as commander of these companies and attended at least six military reviews before departing for Philadelphia in May 1775 to attend the Second Continental Congress. Washington wore the uniform of the Fairfax County Independent Company while attending the Congress, and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the United Colonies (later the United States) on June 15, 1775.

This musket, made by Thomas Palmer, is believed to have been ordered by George Washington for the Prince William County Independent Company in Virginia.

Philadelphia Musket

A British force from the Boston garrison attempts to seize military supplies of the Massachusetts <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Militia" data-def="An armed group of people gathered and trained at the local level for the defense of that community. Militias are typically regulated by local governments.">militia, sparking the first military engagement of the American Revolution — the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Lexington and Concord

Colonial <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Delegates" data-def="A person who is appointed by a governing body or elected by voters to represent them at a conference or a convention. In elected government, it is often used synonymously with “representative.”">delegates reconvene in Philadelphia, now faced with bloodshed in Massachusetts and divisions over whether to seek reconciliation with the British Crown. Congress votes to create a Continental Army from the New England forces surrounding Boston and appoints George Washington commander.

Second Continental Congress

British troops dislodge an entrenched New England force from the heights overlooking Charleston and Boston Harbor but suffer more than 1,000 casualties. The engagement boosts confidence in the American army, and persuades British leaders that they must avoid direct assaults on entrenched American positions in the future.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Collection Highlight: Redware Mug

This redware mug belonged to Revolutionary War soldier Joshua Warren. Warren enlisted in Colonel John Paterson’s Regiment and participated in the <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Siege" data-def="The process by which a military takes up a position outside of an enemy fortification with the goal of cutting off supplies until the enemy can no longer function and declares defeat.">Siege of Boston, the failed invasion of Canada, and the Trenton and Princeton campaign. He later served in the Saratoga campaign. Mugs like these were common items carried in a soldier’s knapsack and would have been used every day. Both Warren and the mug survived the war. The mug became an important family heirloom that was passed down through multiple generations until it was donated to the Museum by Joshua Warren’s great-great-great-granddaughter.

Redware mugs, like this which belonged to Revolutionary War soldier Joshua Warren, were commonly carried in a soldier's knapsack for everyday use.

Joshua Warren's Redware Mug

George Washington issues his first orders as commander-in-chief of the "Troops of the United Provinces of North America" from his headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Washington Assumes Command

Abel Scott's powder horn, decorated with leaves and other imagery, and with an attached leather strap

Collection Highlight: Abel Scott's Powder Horn

Slightly rotated view of a powder horn decorated with leaves and other imagery

New Englander Abel Scott of Whately, Massachusetts, served in five military campaigns during the Revolutionary War, first marching from home the day after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. Scott, or a fellow soldier, engraved this detailed view of British-occupied Boston as British and New England forces eyed one another across the fortifications and harbor encircling the town. British troops and Loyalist refugees were forced to evacuate Boston after American troops constructed fortifications and placed <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Artillery" data-def="Cannon or other large weapons that are too heavy for a person to carry. This term also refers to the branch of the army that uses these types of weapons.">artillery on Dorchester Heights on the night of March 4, 1776.

This engraved powder horn belonged to Abel Scott, a New England soldier who served in five military campaigns of the Revolutionary War..

Abel Scott's Powder Horn

Waller's powder horn, decorated with floral and other engravings, and the words "Will'm Waller Liberty or Death"

Collection Highlight: William Waller's Powder Horn

Rotated view of powder horn showing the words "Appeal to Heaven" underneath a crown

Rotated view of powder horn, marked with the words "Kill or Be Killd"

Virginia rifleman William Waller carried this powder horn during the Revolutionary War. The horn is decorated with several popular slogans of the American Revolution, including “LIBERTY or DEATH” and “APPEAL TO HEAVEN.” Waller‘s unit served under General Washington’s command when the American army attempted to defend New York City against British forces in 1776.

This is powder horn was carried by Virginia rifleman William Waller during the Revolutionary War and is etched with the slogan "LIBERTY or DEATH."

William Waller's Powder Horn

Virginia's royal governor, John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore declares martial law and promises freedom to <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Enslaved" data-def="Owned by another person. Saying “enslaved person” rather than “slave” can remind people of the humanity of the person who is in the condition of being owned by another person.">enslaved people who join his British force on the Chesapeake. Dunmore's "Ethiopian Regiment" adopts the motto "Liberty to Slaves," prompting many white Virginians to embrace the American cause.

Dunmore's Proclamation

Magnified top view of musket, from the butt to the lock

Before Spain allied with France against the British in 1779, they secretly sent equipment, including muskets like this one, to America. The first shipment of muskets was purchased by Jeremiah Lee and Elbridge Gerry in February 1775. Like the thousands of muskets Spain sent throughout the Revolution, Spanish merchant Joseph Gardoqui shipped them to America through fake trading companies to make sure they arrived safely.

Before Spain allied with France against the British, it secretly sent equipment, including muskets like this sent via merchant Joseph Gardoqui, to America.

Spanish Musket

When news reaches Black troops around Boston that an act of Congress prohibits the enlistment of African Americans in the Continental Army for the coming campaign, they successfully petition George Washington to allow them to reenlist.

Black Troops Petition to Remain in the Army

American forces under generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold attack the city of Quebec in a failed attempt to drive British forces from the province and enlist Canadian support for the American cause. Within a year, American forces retreat and the campaign to draw Canada into the American union is a failure.

Attack on Quebec

Common Sense pamphlet open to its title page next to Plain Truth pamphlet, closed to show cover

Collection Highlight: Common Sense and Plain Truth

A Closer Look with Meg Bowersox

So at the start of the Revolutionary War, many people at this time were arguing over rights and representation. But many of the people living in the colonies still wanted to be loyal to King George III and England. But then, as you get closer to the year 1776, things start to change. The war begins, the battles take off, and many people who are living in the colonies are changing their hearts and their minds. And in January of 1776, Thomas Paine writes a pamphlet called Common Sense. And in this pamphlet he talks about how it is a necessity that we in the colonies separate from King George III, and become an independent nation.Now prior to this, people were talking about Independence, but nobody had really thought about it as a tool to argue for rights and freedom until Thomas Paine writes it in his pamphlet. What's really interesting about this pamphlet is the first time it's actually printed is in Philadelphia, just a few blocks from the museum actually at Robert Bell's print shop.Now while you have this document that's arguing for the ideas of the revolutionaries, you also have many loyalists living here in the colonies. And one loyalist in particular, James Chalmers, writes a pamphlet called Plain Truth. And in this document he talks about his love for his mother country, meaning Great Britain. And he writes passionately about how we need King George III and we need a monarchical system in order to govern ourselves.So these documents were printed. You could read them in the pamphlet way that you have here separately. One is Common Sense and what is Plain Truth. But one person in particular, John Almon, actually took both of these pamphlets and bound them together in one book. And this allowed the people in England to be able to read what these colonists were arguing for, what these revolutionaries were arguing for, and that they actually did deserve independence from King George III and England.

Philadelphia printers issued works that stoked debate over the American Revolution on both sides of the Atlantic. In the early months of 1776, Thomas Paine issued his clarion call for American <span class="wordDefine" tabIndex="0" data-term="Independence" data-def="Relying on oneself and no longer being affiliated to or controlled by others. Interior Inside. When used in relation to 18th century American geography, interior generally means away from the Atlantic Coast, towards the frontier of the American colonies.">independence, Common Sense, and Loyalist James Chalmers offered his pointed rebuke, titled Plain Truth, through the printer and bookseller Robert Bell on Third Street. London publisher John Almon bundled the two works in this June 1776 edition for British readers who wondered "whether Americans are, or are not prepared for a state of independence."

These copies of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and James Chalmer's rebuke, Plain Truth, were bundled by London publisher John Almon for British readers.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense and James Chalmers' Plain Truth

Small rectangular bill with both printed and signed text, and a printed image of an eagle and a crane locked in battle

Collection Highlight: Continental Currency 3 Dollars

Issued under the authority of the Continental Congress, this example of paper currency from the American Revolution bears the image of an eagle attacking a crane and the Latin motto "Exitus In Dubio Est" (The Outcome is in Doubt). With no authority to tax, the Continental Congress was unable to prevent deep depreciation of its paper currency, and coupled with the widespread circulation of British counterfeit bills, gave rise to the phrase, "Not Worth a Continental."

This is an example of paper currency from the American Revolution that was issued under the authority of the Continental Congress in 1776.

Continental Currency

Copy of "A New Version of the Psalms of David, opened to its title page

Book 'A New Version of the Psalms of David," opened to Psalm 35

Book 'A New Version of the Psalms of David," opened to the end of Psalm 35 and the beginning of Psalm 36

Book "A New Version of the Psalms of David," closed to show cover

Gilbert DeBlois (1725-1791), a prosperous merchant and importer of English goods, was born in New York and grew up in Boston, where his parents were members of the Anglican parish of King's Chapel. The family remained closely affiliated with the Church of England for decades, and DeBlois may have presented this volume of the Psalms of David to King's Chapel after 1763, when he and his brother Lewis were appointed vestrymen. DeBlois vigorously opposed Boston's Sons of Liberty during the decade following the Stamp Act crisis, and he chose to flee Boston with his sons and brother when British troops were forced to abandon the city in March 1776. DeBlois was declared an enemy of the state in 1778, a portion of his property was seized, and he was banished from Massachusetts.

Gilbert DeBlois, a prosperous merchant and importer of English goods, may have presented this volume of the Psalms of David to King's Chapel after 1763.

Psalms of David - Anglican Book Owned by a Boston Loyalist

Collection Highlight: Peter Muhlenberg's Pistols

Two pistols, shown in profile; One is shown with the lock facing up, the other with decorations visible and the lock facing down

German-American Brigadier General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807) carried these English holster pistols during the Revolutionary War. Born at Trappe, Pennsylvania, and educated in Philadelphia and Europe as a Lutheran minister, Muhlenberg commanded the 8th Virginia Regiment, a corps composed largely of German-speaking recruits raised in the Shenandoah Valley in 1776.

Lutheran minister and German-American Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg carried these two English holster pistols during the Revolutionary War.

Timeline of the American Revolution