New exhibition illustrates Virginia's contribution to the Revolution.
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The Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, Virginia, is preparing to open its latest exhibit to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In collaboration with the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, museum leaders have developed a four-room exhibit featuring rare artifacts, paintings, and documents that reflect the ideas and efforts of Virginians in the formation of our nation. Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation opens Saturday, March 22, 2025, the date that Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech catalyzed the revolutionary movement and galvanized Virginia delegates into action.
Henry takes center stage in the exhibition, which features his evocative portrait by artist Thomas Sully, painted in 1815. Below the painting is the whalebone paper cutter that Henry theatrically plunged into his chest like a dagger while delivering his famous speech on Richmond's Church Hill. The glasses Henry wore that day are also displayed beneath his portrait.
“Had his remarks been more brief, the spectacles would have remained on his nose,” reads the text regarding the glasses. “But if he had been seen pushing his spectacles up his wig, it would have been a declaration of war, and his adversaries would have been advised to keep their distance.” A multimedia presentation of Henry’s speech, performed by local actors at the historic St John’s Church, is featured in the central hall, and Henry’s famous words are heard throughout the exhibition.
Virginia Museum of History and Culture President and CEO Jamie Bosket, who worked at George Washington's Mount Vernon home for a decade, says the exhibit aims to “encourage people to recognize this unique moment in our lives on the 250th anniversary of his birth.”
“We brought together leaders from Williamsburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon, the national parks, and other key players who could make a difference,” Bosket tells me as we tour the exhibit. “Our 250th initiative is a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment. This exhibit will be here for a year, and then it will go to the Yorktown Museum, a version of it will be at Richmond International Airport, and 50 other communities across Virginia. It will reach millions of people.”
Bosket adds that the museum has launched a virtual tour that allows students and classrooms to explore 15 of Virginia’s most iconic and historic sites associated with the exhibit through vivid 360-degree photography. The museum is also committed to investing in civic education, with an emphasis on reaching as many middle school students across the state as possible. “We hope to align the great American story with an understanding of our rights and responsibilities as citizens.”
Charles Willson Peale's famous 1772 portrait of George Washington takes center stage in the first room upon entering the exhibit. On loan from Washington and Lee University, the painting is accompanied by the silver hilt of the small sword Washington carried during the French and Indian War and an ambitious letter from Washington to Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie,
Sourse: theamericanconservative.com
