Declaring Independence: USA 250 at the British Museum

A new free display at the British Museum marks 250 years since the Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Britain on 4 July 1776. Declaring Independence: USA 250 brings together four objects with interconnected histories from the American Revolutionary War, exploring how diplomatic gifts and treaties shaped alliances between the American Revolutionaries, Great Britain and Indigenous North American Nations.

At its core is the Washington Peace Medal, engraved by Paul Revere in 1777, which passed through the hands of all three parties to the war. It is shown alongside a Lenape wampum belt and a pipe tomahawk given to the Mohawk leader Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant). Halfway through the run they are joined by the Sussex Declaration — a rare handwritten ceremonial copy of the Declaration of Independence, on loan from West Sussex Record Office.

The display runs from 30 June to 29 November 2026 in Room 3. Entry is free. Supported by Bank of America.