BOSTON, MA — March 12, 2026 — The Boston Public Library (BPL) will present Declarations: Printing a New Nation, a new exhibition opening Saturday, April 11, and on view through Sunday, September 13, 2026, at the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Central Library in Copley Square. The exhibition is presented in partnership between the Boston Public Library and the Leventhal Map & Education Center and made possible by the Irene Haney Creative Enrichment Fund through the Boston Public Library Fund.
In the summer of 1776, the Declaration was not yet an enshrined artifact of US history – it was current, breaking news. For the first time ever, the Boston Public Library’s eight rare printings of the Declaration will be displayed together in a public exhibition, inviting visitors to step into a moment when American independence, and the nation itself, was still taking shape.
Using rare maps, early printings, books, and visual materials from the period, Declarations: Printing a New Nation situates the Declaration in time and space. Inspired in part by historian Emily Sneff’s concept of “the Declaration as news,” the exhibition explores how the document spread across the fledgling United States and beyond, carried through print networks while the ink was barely dry and the outcome of independence was far from certain.
"Seeing these early printings side by side creates a powerful opportunity to reconnect with the Declaration at the moment it entered public life as urgent news in a world filled with uncertainty,” said Jay Moschella, Manager of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Boston Public Library.
Rather than focusing solely on the Declaration as a single iconic manuscript, the exhibition examines the multiple printed copies that circulated in July 1776 and the months that followed; copies that brought news of independence to cities, towns, and military encampments. Through these materials, visitors will gain a deeper understanding of how information traveled in the eighteenth century and how print culture shaped the birth of a nation.
"This exhibition focuses on what the world felt like to people living through the summer of 1776,” says Garrett Dash Nelson, President and Head Curator at the Leventhal Center. “We think of this moment as the birth of ‘the United States,’ but that term was only a vague political proposition at the time. By pairing documents like the Declaration with maps and other materials, we invite visitors to dwell on the actual experiences of political turmoil and revolutionary change.”
Declarations: Printing a New Nation is part of the Declarations Trail, a collaborative effort across Greater Boston marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. At four institutions, including the Boston Public Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society, Harvard University, and the Boston Athenaeum, more than a dozen rare printings of the Declaration of Independence and related materials will be on public view.
The BPL invites all patrons and visitors to explore the exhibition, free to all, in the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the BPL’s Central Library. Related programs will be available throughout the course of the exhibition. Visitors can find a companion online exhibition at leventhalmap.org/digital-exhibitions/declarations.
Ongoing funding to support conservation, curation, and digitization of BPL’s Special Collections is provided by The Associates of the Boston Public Library.
Exhibition Details:
- Title: Declarations: Printing a New Nation
- Dates: April 11, 2026 – September 13, 2026
- Location: Leventhal Map & Education Center, Boylston building, First Floor, Central Library in Copley Square
- Admission: Free and open to the public
Related Programs:
- Special Collections Open House: The American Revolution in Boston | April 18, Central | The Special Collections Department and the Leventhal Map & Education Center will host a one-day open house showcasing revolutionary-era materials from their collections, complementing the Declarations: Printing a New Nation exhibition currently on view.
- Handwriting the Declaration and Constitution | May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, Central | Visitors are invited to the Courtyard of the Central Library to handwrite the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution in a quiet, self-paced setting designed for reflection. Part of artist Morgan O’Hara’s “Handwriting the Constitution” social art project, the program provides all materials and encourages participants to deepen their understanding of foundational documents through concentrated, communal writing.
- Zine-Making: What does the Declaration Mean 250 Years Later? | May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, Central | Visitors are invited to the Courtyard of the Central Library for an art-making opportunity, giving participants the chance to reflect on what the document means 250 years later and how the American Revolution relates to other protest movements and revolutions that have occurred in the United States.
- David Walker’s Declaration of Independence: Building Community and Fighting Racism in Antebellum African American Boston | May 21, Central | When it first appeared in Boston 1829, David Walker’s Appeal struck terror into the hearts of white Americans North and South. Scholar Leon Jackson will reexamine the Appeal’s composition, publication, and circulation using previously unexamined manuscripts focusing on the Boston community that often supported but sometimes thwarted his work.
- Author Talk: When the Declaration Was News | June 24, Central | Emily Sneff will discuss her new book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News, exploring how the Declaration was printed, circulated, and understood in 1776 and the many individuals who helped communicate it across the Atlantic world.
- We Hold These Truths | June 25, Central | The Associates of the Boston Public Library present an evening of music, poetry, and connection featuring newly commissioned works by New England Conservatory and Berklee students and Regie Gibson, the first Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Handel & Haydn Society Youth Choir joins guest speakers and performers at this eighth installment of the Pierce Performance Series.
- Independence Day Open House | July 2, Central | BPL’s Special Collections Department and the Leventhal Map & Education Center will host a one-day open house showcasing revolutionary-era materials from their collections, complementing the Declarations: Printing a New Nation exhibition currently on view.
- Conservator Katie Boodle on Preserving Founding Documents | August 18, Central | Conservator Katie Boodle from the Northeast Document Conservation Center will hold a talk about conserving the newspapers, broadsides, and other documents that spread the news of the formation of the United States government, as well as advice on continuing to preserve similar formats that document life today.
For more information about Declarations: Printing a New Nation, including details on the works on view, visit leventhalmap.org/digital-exhibitions/declarations. For more information about related programs, visit bpl.org/events.
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ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
ABOUT THE LEVENTHAL MAP & EDUCATION CENTER
The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes the public use of more than a quarter million geographic objects for the enjoyment and education of all. Uniquely positioned in a public library, the Leventhal Center offers exhibitions and public talks, groundbreaking educational programs that promote geographic and data literacy, and extensive digital resources.
The Leventhal Center is known for the size and significance of its collection, as well as its engagement with K-12 audiences. With a global scope and a regional specialization in Boston and New England, the Center is a leader in exploring the study of places, societies, landscapes and history through the lens of maps and geography.