PHLADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is celebrating the semi-quincentennial with a new exhibition that shows off some very rare documents that date to the founding of our nation.

“Paths to Independence: 1765 to 1787” documents America’s origin story in two parts.

“The exhibition looks at the decade of controversies and conflicts leading up to the Declaration of Independence,” says David Brigham, Librarian & CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. “Why did we feel as American colonies that we needed to separate from Great Britain?”

And then the 11 years between the signing of the Declaration and the adoption of the Constitution.

“The colonies have a lot of work to do,” says Brigham.

There are 141 pieces on view.

“They include original letters, journals, newspapers, broadsides,” he says. “And an incredible oil painting of a tea protest event that happened in Annapolis, Maryland in October of 1774.”

The artwork depicts the burning of the tea ship, Peggy Stewart.

“It’s been in a private home for generations,” he says. “This painting has not been seen in public possibly for 170 years.”

Items are on display in seven cases.

“This case focuses on the Stamp Act, which is passed in the spring of 1765 by Parliament,” he says.

There’s a section on rising tensions in the 1770s, which includes the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Boston Tea Party.

You can see what’s known as the Dunlap Broadside.

“This is an original printing of the Declaration of Independence,” he says.

Just 200 were printed and only 26 survive.

Brigham says the one on display at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania is unique.

“We think it was Jefferson’s proof copy,” he says. “He would mark his speeches out with quotation marks where he intended to emphasize a phrase.”

Another case includes a first draft of the Articles of Confederation, which Brigham says is “the first attempt by Congress to write a Constitution of the United States.”

There is also a first newspaper printing of the Constitution of the United States. It was someone’s personal copy, complete with notes in the margin of the newspaper.

Brigham says people of different social statuses and religions found their way to independence “for different reasons.”

“Sometimes the story’s flattened out into ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys.’ That’s way too simple,” he says. “There was a lot of complexity and even in that 20-year period a lot of attitudes changed.”

“Paths to Independence: 1765 to 1787” is on view through September 18 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. This exhibition is free and open to the public during regular library hours, but visitors must check in at the front desk.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s library hours:

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed Saturday – Monday

Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP)
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107