British Museum Marks America's 250th with 'Declaring Independence: USA 250'

As the United States marks 250 years since it declared independence from Britain, the British Museum is turning to the objects that witnessed the moment. A new free display, Declaring independence: USA 250, opens in Room 3 on 30 June 2026 and runs until 29 November, bringing together four objects with interconnected histories from the era of the American Revolutionary War.

The Washington Peace Medal, engraved by Paul Revere in 1777. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Supported by Bank of America, the display sets out to tell a more complete story of the Revolution — one that runs not just through the famous text of the Declaration, but through the diplomatic gifts and treaties that shaped alliances between the three main powers in the conflict: the American Revolutionaries, Great Britain, and the Indigenous North American Nations on whose lands the war was fought.

Three objects drawn from the British Museum’s own collection will be shown alongside a ceremonial copy of the Declaration of Independence on loan from West Sussex Record Office, which arrives halfway through the run.

Table of Contents

The Washington Peace Medal

At the heart of the display is the Washington Peace Medal — an object that, remarkably, passed through the hands of all three parties to the war. Engraved by Paul Revere in 1777, it was a gift from the Revolutionaries to the Wabanaki Confederacy to mark a Treaty of Friendship. It was later confiscated by the British under an enforced treaty and presented to King George III, before King George IV donated it to the British Museum in 1825.

One face carries a portrait of George Washington, then commander of the Continental Army and later the first President of the United States. The reverse shows a classical column ringed by thirteen hands — the Thirteen Colonies that would become the USA — with an allegorical Native North American figure representing ‘America’ itself, a reminder of how vital alliances with Indigenous Nations were to the new nation’s story.

The Washington Peace Medal, reverse, showing a classical column surrounded by thirteen hands — The reverse of the Washington Peace Medal, with a column surrounded by thirteen hands representing the Thirteen Colonies. © The Trustees of the British Museum

The Sussex Declaration

Joining the display in the autumn is the Sussex Declaration, a handwritten ceremonial copy of the Declaration of Independence produced on sheepskin parchment. It is the only handwritten ceremonial copy known to exist alongside the original Matlack Declaration held at the National Archives in Washington DC. Its full significance was uncovered through the Declaration Resources Project established at Harvard University in 2015, working with the Library of Congress, the British Library and West Sussex Record Office.

Indigenous diplomacy and the wider war

Two further objects foreground the Indigenous histories at the centre of the conflict. A Lenape wampum belt represents peaceful diplomacy between the Lenape (Delaware) and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 1712, evidence of a long tradition of alliance-making between Indigenous Nations. The Lenape went on to sign the Treaty of Fort Pitt in 1778 with the Revolutionaries — the first formal treaty between an Indigenous Nation and the United States.

Many Indigenous Peoples fought on the British side. A pipe tomahawk given to Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), a Mohawk Haudenosaunee leader, represents the Mohawk alliance with the British; its engraving reads, ‘Given to my friend Joseph Brant from the Duke of Northumberland 1805’, the Duke having gone on to advocate for Mohawk land rights in Parliament after the war.

Lenape wampum belt representing peaceful diplomacy between the Lenape and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — Lenape wampum belt. © The Trustees of the British Museum

What the curators say

The objects in this display play witness to the events leading up to, and beyond, the Declaration of Independence. The Washington Peace Medal is an extraordinary survivor of this turbulent time, having passed through the hands of all three main protagonists in the Revolutionary War.
Tom Hockenhull, Keeper of the Department of Money and Medals, British Museum

I’m excited we’re able to bring these interconnected objects together for the first time, and explore the materiality of alliances, diplomacy, and negotiations between Indigenous Nations, the American Revolutionaries and the British. The display also foregrounds Indigenous histories, reminding audiences the war took place on Indigenous lands and highlighting the vital roles Indigenous Nations played in the conflict.
Rose Taylor, Curator: Americas, British Museum

Visiting

Declaring independence: USA 250 runs from 30 June to 29 November 2026 in Room 3 at the British Museum. Entry is free, and the Sussex Declaration joins the display from the middle of the run. The nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road, Holborn and Russell Square. Full details are on the British Museum website.

Marking the same anniversary, The National Archives in Kew has opened Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story, 1763–1783, which puts George Washington’s letter accepting the British surrender at Yorktown on public display for the first time.