This exhibition was on view April 17 – December 28, 2014.

Jefferson, Philadelphia, and the Founding of a Nation

“Spectacular and unusual…” Read the Philadelphia Inquirer review here.

Interested in Jefferson’s Walking Tour of Philadelphia? Click here.

This exhibition commemorates Jefferson’s long association with Philadelphia. The first half focuses on his visits to the city in 1775 and 1776, when, as a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was selected to draft the Declaration of Independence. A handwritten copy of Jefferson’s draft, which includes annotations showing passages that were later deleted by Congress, is the first object visitors see as they enter the exhibition. Jefferson’s now fragile Declaration manuscript has been specially framed for the exhibition so that his handwriting on both sides of document is visible. Cross-outs, notes in the margins, and alterations to the text show the changes that were made to Jefferson’s draft. These markings reveal the arduous democratic process that brought the Declaration into being.

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, Charles Willson Peale, 1791. Independence National Historic Park Collection, Philadelphia, PA.

South East Corner of Third and Market Streets, Philadelphia (detail), William Russell Birch, 1799. APS.

Draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, 1776 (detail)

Also on display is a letter from Richard Henry Lee, the delegate from Virginia who originally proposed independence, writing to console Jefferson about these changes: “the Thing in its nature is so good, that no Cookery can spoil the Dish for the palates of Freemen.” This exhibition places Jefferson in the context of an intellectual circle in Philadelphia that was steeped in Enlightenment thought and revolutionary fervor.

The second half of the exhibition reveals Philadelphia as it was in the last decade of the 18th century, when Jefferson returned to serve as Secretary of State for George Washington and Vice President for John Adams. In 1797, he became president of the American Philosophical Society (APS) and continued in that role until 1814—before, during, and after he was President of the United States. In a letter accepting the APS position, he stated that he deemed it “the most flattering incident of my life, & that to which I am the most sensible.”

Revolving Windsor Chair with Writing Arm, ca. 1774. APS.   Allegory of the American Union, designed by Marquis de François Barbé-Marbois, 1784. APS.

Trace lines from Jefferson’s handwritten Declaration

Jefferson, Philadelphia, and the Founding of a Nation is the first of three exhibitions on Jefferson to be held at the American Philosophical Society (APS) Museum from 2014 through 2016.

Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

APS visitors are encouraged to visit Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, a revealing exhibition following the stories of six enslaved families who lived and worked at Monticello.