Our Partners
The following Penn organizations and departments are involved in planning for America 250.
America 250 at Penn
The University of Pennsylvania, located in the heart of the city, was at the center of the dramatic events of 1776 and the Revolution that followed. 250 years later, partners across the university are exploring how history can help us better understand the present and create a sustainable and inclusive future.
The Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the Declaration of Independence, also being referred to across the country as America 250, provides the Penn community with an ideal opportunity to re-examine one of the founding documents of our country from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
The Penn Libraries is bringing together colleagues from across campus to recognize this anniversary through a range of programming — from exhibitions, art commissions, and performances to innovative courses and conferences — which engages with a number of important ideas raised by the Declaration that continue to resonate in our time.
Events and Exhibits
Find a full calendar of America 250 programming across the University of Pennsylvania.
In the News
See media coverage of America 250 at Penn programming.
Course Development Grants
Applications are now open for Penn faculty interested in developing undergraduate and graduate courses that engage directly with America 250 and its themes.
Image above: Detail from engraving of Benjamin Franklin overlaid with the signatures of eight University of Pennsylvania signers of the Declaration of Independence: James Wilson, Francis Hopkinson, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, Robert Morris, George Clymer, William Paca, and Thomas McKean (all from Ms. Coll. 621, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Penn Libraries; image by Chris Lippa.)