This exhibition surveys the revolutions that shook the Atlantic world in the 1790s, and the profound changes that resulted, from France to Haiti to Philadelphia.
Hosted by: Kislak Center
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, The Time to Right all Wrongs looks beyond that decisive date. Less than two years after the Constitution was signed, cataclysmic revolutions dramatically reshaped Europe and the Americas.
From France to Haiti and across the Atlantic world, republican rebels challenged monarchies and aristocracies. Some crumbled, while others resisted. Refugees traversed borders, and armies challenged old regimes. The port city of Philadelphia, where the Declaration and Constitution had been written, was profoundly impacted by this swirl of revolutionary events. The city became a harbor for refugees from all sides of the revolutions and a center of political debate and conflict over the future of republicanism and democracy.
These global upheavals generated profound reflections about freedom and rights, government and liberty, rebellion and violence, race and gender, money and media. Perhaps it was a moment when the social order could be rebuilt on new, more equitable foundations—"the time to right all wrongs,” in the words of Haitian deputy Etienne Mentor. The books, documents, objects, and images on display will challenge visitors with the questions posed during that revolutionary era.
A Time to Right all Wrongs is organized by the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts and features the collections of the and the Kislak Center, with other documents provided by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Philosophical Society.
Funding for this exhibition is provided in part by the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.
This exhibition is free and open to the public and located in the Goldstein Gallery on the 6th floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and during special events.
Penn faculty, staff, and students must swipe their PennCard for access. Visitors from outside the Penn community must present a current, valid government or school-issued photo ID that contains an expiration date. Find more information to plan your visit.
Featured image: View of the Jacobin Club, with caption "Il faut balayer le territoire de la république, et le grand balai, le balai national, c'est la guillotine." Morel, L'intérieur d'un comité révolutionnaire, ou, Les jacobins (Paris 1799), frontispiece (Rare Book Collection, DC178 .M67 1799)
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.
Penn Professors Emma Hart, Sophia Rosenfeld, and Duncan Watts address the power and impact of Thomas Paine's revolutionary pamphlet, 250 years after its publication.
A conference on the revolutionary upheavals that shook metropolitan France and the French colonies and populations in North America, from the late eighteenth through the early nineteenth century.
As part of the Penn Libraries America 250 programming, join the Common Press for The Typography of Independence, a year-long program celebrating the papermaking and printing techniques that created the first edition of the Declaration of Independence.