This weekend I traveled to Philadelphia on a trip with the Honors Program to visit the Museum of the American Revolution. When we arrived at the museum, we started our self-guided tour by watching the orientation video. The video gave us a great quick history of before, during and after the revolutionary war in America. This set us up for the more detailed experience waiting for us in the upstairs galleries. As we walked through the Becoming Revolutionaries exhibit, it painted a picture of the lifestyle in America and the tension that built up to the shot heard round the world. My favorite room in this part of the exhibit was the one with a liberty tree in the center of it, which was a gathering place for daughters and sons of liberty and were symbols of resistance to Great Britain. Surrounding this tree, with a piece of the first liberty tree available to touch, was an interactive screen to learn more about events during this time and a large exhibit on the stamp act. As we continued to walk through, another part I enjoyed were the scenes they had reenacted from the war with life size figures. It truly made you feel like you were walking through history. Another part I enjoyed was the part of The Darkest Hour exhibit where it discussed the battles that took place in New Jersey. There was a large map, and if you clicked on a specific battle, lights would show up and move which demonstrated the movement of each battle. There was truly so much detail put in to this very modern museum. With every new walk through I’m sure you would be able to witness something new. From the maps on the floors, to all the interactive things to open and read, it kept one captivated the entire experience. There were also many details added that didn’t necessarily directly pertain to the war, but helped us gain a good understanding of that time. For example, some I enjoyed were pieces of their money, journals from school kids at that time and the buckles they used on their shoes. There was something for all ages, from the dress up room and large boat in the War at Sea exhibit for the kids, and even videos throughout the entire journey if you needed to sit and rest for a few minutes.

As we were getting to the end of the of the exhibits I expected there to be some grand finale of the end of the American Revolution. However, just as the exhibit showed me, the end of the revolutionary war was not the end of the American Revolution. In fact, it was just the beginning. The American Revolution is still alive today, as we are constantly striving to become a stronger, better and more equal country for everyone. The exhibit ended with a bunch of mirrors and in the middle, it stated, “The Future of the American Revolution”. I think it is important to remember that while our founding fathers got us off on the right track, it is our duty as citizens to continue their work to make America the land of the free and home of the brave.