New Special Exhibition - Declaring the Revolution: America's Printed Path to Independence

Historical Works from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection

Friday, June 26, 2026 (runs through December 6, 2026)

Hyde Park, N.Y. - The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will open a new special exhibition, DECLARING THE REVOLUTION: AMERICA’S PRINTED PATH TO INDEPENDENCE -- Historical Works from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection, on Friday, June 26, 2026, in the William J. vanden Heuvel Gallery of the Library and Museum. The exhibit runs through December 6, 2026. Regular Library and Museum admission applies to view the exhibit.

"We are grateful for Mr. Rubenstein's generosity in making this history come to life for our visitors,” said Library Director Willam A. Harris. “He collects these irreplaceable items about our nation's founding not to possess them, but to share them. Having the rare William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence here, along with two volumes of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” and many other rare treasures -- some specifically related to this region -- would have thrilled FDR, too."

Exhibition Synopsis:

DECLARING THE REVOLUTION: AMERICA’S PRINTED PATH TO INDEPENDENCE

Historical Works from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection

Guest Curator: Mazy Boroujerdi, Curator, David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection

Between 1765 and 1783, the thirteen American colonies, once separate possessions of Great Britain, strove to become a self-governing, democratic alliance with a shared identity and destiny. This struggle is known as the American Revolution. In the process, eighteenth-century Americans defended their liberties as citizens, protested their second-class political status, organized economic boycotts, established fighting forces and shadow governments, and affirmed their legal bonds with one another. This was all done through "declarations" of various kinds, which were all expressed through the dominant medium of the time: print.

The supreme example of printed democratic aspirations is the Declaration of Independence, the 250th anniversary of which we celebrate in 2026. This exhibition honors the Declaration as the central printed achievement of America's revolutionary generation by assembling various political and intellectual forerunners of that momentous document, as well as printed evidence of the ways that America's founders self-organized to bring about its stated ideals. The Declaration was both the culmination of previous printings and an influence on future ones -- "it was," its author Thomas Jefferson noted, "intended to be an expression of the American mind."

Declaring the Revolution is presented by the philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, and it serves as his contribution to our national efforts of commemorating the events of 1776. The complexity of those events is revealed by the three sections of the exhibition, which depict the publishing, governmental, and military developments of the period. The American Revolution was both an active war and an ideological war; it saw the replacement of both a national government and a national identity. This exhibition commemorates 1776 by seeking to understand how the events surrounding that year led to the birth of democracy in the United States.

Please contact Cliff Laube at (845) 486-7745 with questions about the event.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit fdrlibrary.org.

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