{"id":20250,"date":"2017-04-21T10:23:39","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T10:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/?p=20250"},"modified":"2017-04-21T10:46:24","modified_gmt":"2017-04-21T10:46:24","slug":"mdfdeusa-washington-la-fayettes-spirits-live-on-in-philly-yorktown-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/04\/21\/mdfdeusa-washington-la-fayettes-spirits-live-on-in-philly-yorktown-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/","title":{"rendered":"MDFDE\/USA: Washington &#038; La Fayette&#8217;s Spirits Live On In Philly &#038; Yorktown! #MDFDEJeSuisLadyLiberty131"},"content":{"rendered":"<address><strong>April 20th 2017:<\/strong> Alcorn McBride brings <strong>Siege of Yorktown<\/strong> to life at new American Revolution Museum.\u00a0The nine-minute experiential attraction in the Siege Theatre plunges 70 visitors at a time into the heat of the battle. Guests view the allied American and French victory over the British Army on a 180-degree surround screen. The experience is further enhanced with wind, smoke, lightning and thunderous cannon fire. <a id=\"LPlnk455913\" href=\"https:\/\/blooloop.com\/news\/alcorn-mcbride-american-revolution-museum-yorktown\/\">https:\/\/blooloop.com\/news\/alcorn-mcbride-american-revolution-museum-yorktown\/<\/a><\/address>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Great French-American Facts from Philly: <\/strong>In 1950, the U.S. Department of the Treasury commissioned the Paccard Foundry in Annecy-le-Vieux, France to forge Liberty Bell replicas that would tour each state encouraging post-war America to <strong>\u201cSave for Your Independence,\u201d<\/strong> according to the Liberty Bell Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. <a id=\"LPlnk442554\" href=\"http:\/\/newbostonpost.com\/2016\/07\/06\/liberty-bell-replica-off-limits-to-state-house-visitors\/\">http:\/\/newbostonpost.com\/2016\/07\/06\/liberty-bell-replica-off-limits-to-state-house-visitors\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk749224\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdefrance-paques-2017-que-les-cloches-paccard-ne-cessent-jamais-de-sonner-mdfdefriendshipmercitrain70-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdefrance-paques-2017-que-les-cloches-paccard-ne-cessent-jamais-de-sonner-mdfdefriendshipmercitrain70-2\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline\"><\/h1>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw36Phqk\">\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline\">Philly, Yorktown: Tale of 2 American Revolution museums<\/h1>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw36wk8E\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw37c4Os\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.delawareonline.com\/staff\/5043\/margie-fishman\/\" rel=\"author\"> Margie Fishman <\/a> , The News Journal Published 8:30 a.m. ET March 23, 2017 | Updated 12:25 p.m. ET March 23, 2017<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw36Evf8\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw36F1Uk\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw36kfU0\"><\/section>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\" role=\"main\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5shR6A\">\n<div itemprop=\"video\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\">\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/52917f55e06237fd9dd93f058d46ed87e0a4b1bc\/r=540\/http\/download.gannett.edgesuite.net\/newsjour\/brightcove\/29913743001\/201703\/1793\/29913743001_5369921929001_5369918532001-vs.jpg\" width=\"540px\" height=\"304px\" \/><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<address itemprop=\"description\">Two museums, opening less than a month apart, both lay claim to the story of the birth of our nation. Daniel Sato\/The News Journal<\/address>\n<address itemprop=\"description\">\u00a0<\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5shsZA\">\n<div>\n<section id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5fm_TM\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"George Washington statue\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/b6a7896c45167b78dd7d06132ef13cb06a9f1179\/c=414-0-6947-4912&amp;r=x404&amp;c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253575902327514-George-Washington-statue.jpg\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253575902327514-George-Washington-statue.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253575902327514-George-Washington-statue.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<address>\u00a0<\/address>\n<address>(Photo: Courtesy of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown)<\/address>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Opening less than a month apart, the debut\u00a0of two nationally recognized, multi-million-dollar American Revolution museums begs the question: Who owns the story of the birth of our nation?<\/p>\n<p>Did America spring from a\u00a0Yorktown, Virginia, battlefield,\u00a0ravaged by pickaxes, cannonballs and horse carcasses before British Gen.\u00a0Cornwallis surrendered his troops on Oct.19, 1781? Or was our republic sealed in the first capital, Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and adopted?<\/p>\n<p>The answer is both.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like Jewelers&#8217; Row. We&#8217;re all in the business of getting people hooked on diamonds,&#8221; explains\u00a0R. Scott Stephenson, vice president of collections, exhibitions and programming for the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<p>Opening April 19 at Third and Chestnut Streets, the three-story brick building is located steps from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the National Constitution Center. It&#8217;s\u00a0not to be confused with the smaller (also brick) American Revolution Museum at Yorktown near the iconic battlefield, which kicked\u00a0off a 13-day grand opening\u00a0celebration Thursday, March 23 with patriotic salutes to individual colonies.\u00a0Delaware was first in line.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5svDBM\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"Exterior of the Museum of the American Revolution in\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/646e59ca5499a110c57ac0f87a58b3c0dcc132d0\/c=46-0-755-533&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252761629288626-revolution-exterior.jpg\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252761629288626-revolution-exterior.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252761629288626-revolution-exterior.jpg\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">Exterior of the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City, Philadelphia\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution)<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Leaders of both museums insist that the timing of their unveilings is completely coincidental.\u00a0Both facilities were in development for more than a decade, both marked by fits and starts.<\/p>\n<p>The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, formerly the Yorktown Victory Center, had a soft opening in October before all exhibits\u00a0were installed. The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a state agency, operates the new $51\u00a0million museum, along with the Jamestown Settlement nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Philadelphia&#8217;s\u00a0$120 million museum, originally slated to occupy land within\u00a0Valley Forge National Park, is run by a nonprofit supported by private and state funding. The project&#8217;s\u00a0biggest donor is local media entrepreneur and philanthropist H.F. &#8220;Gerry&#8221; Lenfest.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see them as competition at all,&#8221; Homer Lanker, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation&#8217;s interpretive programs manager, said of the museum to the north. &#8220;I see both of us telling an amazing story.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, top officials at both institutions said they haven&#8217;t had time to check out what the other has\u00a0to offer. Nor did they have time to consult with each other&#8217;s\u00a0curatorial teams to avoid duplication.<\/p>\n<p>There are some striking similarities in retelling a uniquely American story: Both museums feature\u00a0lanterns hanging from a\u00a0&#8220;Liberty Tree&#8221; (Yorktown&#8217;s is wired for instant messages). Both include images\u00a0of members of the Revolutionary War generation who survived into the age of photography. Both rely on diverse, personal narratives to keep modern viewers engaged, and chronicle simmering\u00a0rifts between the American colonists and the British Crown through\u00a0the afterglow of independence and the messy work\u00a0of a burgeoning democracy. Neither asks the viewer to\u00a0memorize\u00a0dates, battles or a teacup&#8217;s provenance.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, both institutions\u00a0ponder existential questions like &#8220;Are liberty and freedom synonymous?&#8221; without wading into the current political climate.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5spP40\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"The Liberty Tree features real wood from a nearly 600-year-old\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/646e59ca5499a110c57ac0f87a58b3c0dcc132d0\/c=46-0-755-533&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252725102590482-liberty-tree-philly.jpg\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252725102590482-liberty-tree-philly.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252725102590482-liberty-tree-philly.jpg\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">The Liberty Tree features real wood from a nearly 600-year-old tulip poplar that was damaged by Hurricane Floyd in Annapolis, Maryland.\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia)<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the first time that\u00a0Pennsylvania and Virginia have traded\u00a0friendly fire over preserving wartime artifacts. National Civil War museums have sprouted\u00a0in both Harrisburg and Richmond.<\/p>\n<p>Taking a comprehensive approach to the Revolutionary period, the new museums complement an array of historic sites preserved\u00a0byhe Daughters o tf the American Revolution, National Park Service and regional organizations promoting their piece of the story, according to Cinnamon\u00a0Catlin-Legutko, who serves on the board of\u00a0the American Alliance of Museums.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Helped by the &#8220;Hamilton&#8221; craze on Broadway, the &#8220;Revolutionary War is as current today as it was then,&#8221; <\/strong>added\u00a0Catlin-Legutko, president and CEO of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>&#8220;Philadelphia is part of the story. Yorktown is part of the story.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Visitors to both museums will leave\u00a0with an\u00a0understanding that the revolution wasn&#8217;t a one-off rebellion, waged\u00a0by an appendage of a remote political entity on the other side of the Atlantic. Rather, the struggle continues\u00a0today (cue former presidential hopeful\u00a0Bernie Sanders), because liberty remains\u00a0fragile and an informed citizenry is, by no means,\u00a0guaranteed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered,&#8221; English-American writer and revolutionary Thomas Paine wrote at the close of\u00a01776.\u00a0&#8220;Yet we have this consolation with us&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Yorktown: Where American independence was won<\/h2>\n<p>What sets the Yorktown museum apart is its\u00a0backdrop, the Siege of Yorktown, often seen\u00a0as the culminating battle of the war.<strong> It was here that Washington&#8217;s army, with a helping hand from the\u00a0French,\u00a0trapped Cornwallis&#8217; troops camped against the York River.<\/strong> An immersive film inside the museum deposits visitors\u00a0on the Chesapeake for a windy, explosive Battle of the Capes, which resulted\u00a0in a significant French blockade that choked Cornwallis from reinforcements.<\/p>\n<p>Next door to the museum is an expanded\u00a0&#8220;living history&#8221; farm and recreated Continental Army encampment, using an authentic Von Steuben layout.<\/p>\n<p>Interested in enlisting? You&#8217;ll have to be a man between the ages of 16 and 60, with no obvious signs of scurvy or smallpox, and as tall as a halberd (a combined spear-and-battle-ax).<\/p>\n<p>Join for three years and receive a bounty of $20; stay for the\u00a0entire\u00a0war and reap\u00a0100 acres of land. In exchange, you&#8217;ll have to endure brutal winters vomiting and sweating the sickness away, joined by\u00a0five other guys in a\u00a0teepee.<\/p>\n<p>Children will delight in using sandbags to shore up the camp&#8217;s defenses, taking home musket cartridges as souvenirs. Artillery demonstrations and military drills promise continuous booms.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby is a middle-class farmhouse, patterned after the home\u00a0belonging to\u00a0the real Edward Moss family of York County. In the kitchen, a historical re-enactor bakes\u00a0chess pie in a Dutch oven\u00a0(like pecan pie, minus the pecans). Don&#8217;t touch because they didn&#8217;t have food inspectors back then.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5t9o20\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"A Revolution-era farm offers visitors a chance to witness\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/abc24fbd7747a50af62bd39601855788dddef857\/c=5-0-4027-3024&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253580024185936-Revolution-era-farm-welcome.JPG\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253580024185936-Revolution-era-farm-welcome.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/3d5569507733ca056af5edaf0a2a8036c559fb13\/r=500x375\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253580024185936-Revolution-era-farm-welcome.JPG\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">A Revolution-era farm offers visitors a chance to witness a typical rural lifestyle during the Revolutionary War.\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown)<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The outdoor area has tripled in size since the Yorktown Victory Center opened in 1976 as part of Virginia&#8217;s bicentennial celebration. In 2007, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation decided to replace the outdated museum and beef up attractions on its 22-acre site.<\/p>\n<p>The decision had nothing to do with the development of another revolution museum more than 300 miles away, according to Yorktown museum leaders. History buffs will travel for their fix, while casual visitors can incorporate either museum into their regional travel plans, said Susan Bak, the foundation&#8217;s senior director of marketing and retail operations.<\/p>\n<p>With 22,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, the new Yorktown museum is a testament to the ingenuity of Washington&#8217;s scrappy army against mounting hardships. It also documents\u00a0how to live through a war, through the eyes of 20 historical characters.<\/p>\n<p>They include Sarah Osborn Benjamin, a former servant who married a Continental soldier and traveled with him to the battlefield to distribute food and coffee while skirting cannonballs; Peter Harris of the Catawba Nation, who joined the 3rd South Carolina Regiment; Billy Flora, a free African American solidier who displayed courage at the Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia;\u00a0and\u00a0Trip, a Wheaten Terrier and a patriot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re not telling the story of war,&#8221;<\/strong> the foundation&#8217;s senior curator, Thomas Davidson, said.\u00a0<strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re telling the story of the creation of the nation.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of the estimated 500 artifacts on display, about 100 are from the original museum.They include decorative objects, cookware, compasses, toys, tools and\u00a0furniture. Life-cast figures depict gory battle scenes. In assembling the hand-sewn costume for an English captain, museum conservators took his\u00a0red coat to a firing range to mark\u00a0authentic\u00a0bullet holes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5ssw_o\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"Battle of Great Bridge diorama at American Revolution\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/d826527aea91e7253bb77750a33dca37f07742d4\/c=414-0-6947-4912&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253572285912332-AmRev-Museum-at-Yorktown---visitors-Battle-of-Great-Bridge-diorama.jpg\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253572285912332-AmRev-Museum-at-Yorktown---visitors-Battle-of-Great-Bridge-diorama.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253572285912332-AmRev-Museum-at-Yorktown---visitors-Battle-of-Great-Bridge-diorama.jpg\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">Battle of Great Bridge diorama at American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown)<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Among the museum&#8217;s prized artifacts\u00a0are\u00a0a rare oil portrait from around 1733 of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, a freeborn educated African who was kidnapped and sold as a slave. It is believed to be one of the earliest known portraits of an African enslaved in the colonies.<\/p>\n<p>A silver-dollar-size treaty badge from 1710 is\u00a0one of only four in existence. The British gave such tokens to Native Americans to encourage trade in furs, pottery and other goods. Also on display is a rare first model \u201cBrown Bess\u201d British infantry musket from\u00a01741, along with\u00a0an\u00a0early 19th-century sandstone marker from a Pennsylvania ferry house, carved with an eagle, stars and the word \u201cLiberty.&#8221; A July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence is tucked inside a shrine-like enclosure surrounded by weaponry.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5shGTE\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"Portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, circa 1733. Diallo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/e44096960948a08eeae6390f698b41a8036ed64f\/c=0-372-3000-2628&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253577758115410-Portrait-of-Ayuba-Suleiman-Diallo-circa-1733.jpg\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253577758115410-Portrait-of-Ayuba-Suleiman-Diallo-circa-1733.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/c711c85d58e411988f13438d0dec93db9715f141\/r=400x400\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/17\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636253577758115410-Portrait-of-Ayuba-Suleiman-Diallo-circa-1733.jpg\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">Portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, circa 1733. Diallo was a freeborn, educated African who was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Maryland.\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown)<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The museum devoted 10 percent of its budget to interactive technology and it shows. Examples include\u00a0a Monty Python-esque film on the Bill of Rights, hologram-like soldiers from the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina and\u00a0mobile app tours from the perspectives of different characters. One fun game allows participants to pick a side, strategy and battle and watch the fighting unfold on a monitor. Shortly after,\u00a0the historically correct sequence of events appears.<\/p>\n<p>Museum leaders hope visitors will take advantage of the nearby Jamestown Settlement, which is also benefiting from\u00a0a $10\u00a0million upgrade. Paid visitors to both attractions\u00a0totaled more than 560,000 last\u00a0year.<\/p>\n<p>Interactive exhibits at Jamestown explore the Powhatan Indian, English and West Central African cultures that converged in America&#8217;s first permanent English colony, founded in 1607. Visitors can\u00a0walk aboard\u00a0three recreated ships that brought the\u00a0English colonists to Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>In July, the settlement will open a &#8220;Pocahontas Reimagined&#8221; exhibition, in tribute to the\u00a0favorite daughter of supreme Indian Chief Powatan. Pocahontas, whose image has been manipulated over history, married Englishman and tobacco planter John Rolfe and helped smooth tensions between the two cultures.<\/p>\n<h2>Philadelphia: Headquarters of the Revolution<\/h2>\n<p>The centerpiece of the\u00a0Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia is a fragile, 10-foot-tall elliptical tent that was missing its\u00a0left side before conservators intervened. Dubbed the &#8220;first Oval Office,&#8221; the linen working and sleeping quarters for Washington and his enslaved assistant, Billy Lee, has been preserved behind shatter-resistant glass in its own auditorium at the museum.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-foot-long, 14-foot-wide exterior tent was made in Reading, Pennsylvania, while Washington was encamped in Valley Forge in 1778. It\u00a0traveled to the Battle of Yorktown; key decisions were reached within its folds. The\u00a0museum also holds William Trego&#8217;s iconic painting, &#8220;The March to Valley Forge,&#8221; along with a\u00a0faded silk banner with 13 white, six-pointed stars that traveled with Washington.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5tWUBA\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"Washington's field tent, the &quot;first Oval Office&quot; on\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/646e59ca5499a110c57ac0f87a58b3c0dcc132d0\/c=46-0-755-533&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252765790459300-wash-tent.jpg\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252765790459300-wash-tent.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252765790459300-wash-tent.jpg\" \/><strong><\/strong><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><strong>Washington&#8217;s field tent, the &#8220;first Oval Office&#8221; on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution)<\/strong><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Compared to Yorktown, the Philadelphia\u00a0museum boasts a more expansive\u00a03,000-piece collection, the core of which was assembled by the now-defunct Valley Forge Historical Society. Museum planners originally proposed building on 78 acres inside Valley Forge Park, before being inundated with\u00a0traffic, noise and pollution concerns.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, they brokered a deal with the National Park Service to swap the Valley Forge land for the Chestnut Street site, the former home of the Independence National Historical Park Visitor Center.<\/p>\n<p>Stored for a time in a secret location in the\u00a0suburbs, collection pieces will rotate to lessen damage from the elements. Galleries are arranged chronologically from the rise of armed resistance to British taxation in the 1760s through the creation of the American republic.<\/p>\n<p>There is a brief overview of the ratification of the Constitution so as not to encroach on messaging at the National Constitution Center.<\/p>\n<p>Technology plays a less prominent role at the Philadelphia museum compared to\u00a0Yorktown. In an immersive theater, visitors are fired on\u00a0by the British light infantry while trying to defend a wall at the Battle of Brandywine. More common are basic flipboards with text throughout the galleries and films that reference\u00a0the illuminated\u00a0artifacts below.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dependence on technology will make you outmoded,&#8221; Philadelphia museum Curator Philip Mead explained. Surveys show that younger museum visitors want to unplug, he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Among the museum&#8217;s highlights: A terracotta bust of Washington by Revolutionary War veteran William Rush, who founded the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; a signed 1773 volume by Phillis Wheatley, American&#8217;s first published black female poet;\u00a0and a copy of the first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence in the Pennsylvania Evening Post.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors can also hop aboard a large-scale replica of an 18th-century privateer ship,\u00a0and marvel at a piece\u00a0of the gilded lead statue of King George III, which was toppled in Bowling Green, New York, and melted down into musketballs.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0message of ordinary people living through extraordinary times\u00a0is reinforced throughout the museum, from\u00a0a pair of baby booties made from the pilfered coat of a British footsoldier, to\u00a0hand-forged\u00a0shackles small enough to fit a child.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby, life-cast figures representing members\u00a0of the Oneida Indian Nation, a major museum donor, debate which\u00a0side to join after the pivotal Battle of Princeton in 1777.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They are in our story not just for modern ideas of diversity,&#8221; said\u00a0Mead, &#8220;but they are truly significant actors in the American revolution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-P5Dmw5teiNs\">\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"url\" alt=\"On display at the Museum of the American Revolution\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/440bbf9f3369f82e4a3e3524d94e5fbe6e3e4ae2\/c=0-45-533-756&amp;r=183&amp;c=0-0-180-240\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252758909255190-post-print.jpg\" width=\"180\" height=\"240\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252758909255190-post-print.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/b2e9b23cd767d8a10443c055f0220c24d0200e88\/r=266x400\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/03\/16\/Wilmington\/Wilmington\/636252758909255190-post-print.jpg\" \/><\/aside>\n<aside itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><\/aside>\n<address itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\u00a0<\/address>\n<address itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">On display at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia is a copy of the June 6, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvania Evening Post with the first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0(Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution)<\/address>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Museum leaders expect more than 500,000 annual visitors following\u00a0the April 19 kickoff event, which will\u00a0feature\u00a0Former\u00a0Vice President Joe Biden,\u00a0Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, and journalist-political commentator Cokie Roberts. The celebration\u00a0coincides with the anniversary of the &#8220;shot heard round the world&#8221; at the Battle of Lexington and\u00a0Concord in 1775, which catapulted the colonies on their eight-year revolutoonary road.<\/p>\n<p>As of mid-March, the museum had presold 25,000 tickets; weddings and special events are\u00a0booked through 2020, a spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n<p>There were no\u00a0outright heroes or villains during the Revolutionary War, despite what appears in books and on film,\u00a0according to Mead.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Charles Wilson Peale, an esteemed painter and war hero,\u00a0also headed a Philadelphia committee to confiscate the land of Loyalists.<\/p>\n<p>The colonists&#8217; pursuit of freedom\u00a0while condoning\u00a0slavery is a paradox, effortlessly articulated\u00a0in one of the museum&#8217;s glass cases. It contains a\u00a0reproduction\u00a0of a silver slave branding tool,\u00a0flanked on either side by\u00a0hat badges proclaiming &#8220;liberty.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the trajectory of the American Revolution resembled\u00a0that of\u00a0a symphony, said\u00a0Mead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;re uplifted, you crash, and you rise up again.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Contact Margie Fishman at (302) 324-2882, on Twitter @MargieTrende or mfishman@delawareonline.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><strong>A tale of two museums:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>American Revolution Museum at Yorktown<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Size: 22,000-square-feet of gallery space in an 80,000-square-foot building<\/p>\n<p>Cost: $51 million<\/p>\n<p>Location: 200 Water St., Yorktown, Virginia<\/p>\n<p>Tickets: Adults, $12; Children ages 6-12, $7; free for children\u00a0under age 6. Discounts available for combination tickets with Jamestown Settlement.<\/p>\n<p>Information: (888) 593-4682 or www.historyisfun.org<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk780124\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2017\/apr\/2\/american-museum-of-the-revolution-at-yorktown-cele\/\">http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2017\/apr\/2\/american-museum-of-the-revolution-at-yorktown-cele\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Museum of the American Revolution<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Size:32,000-square-feet of gallery\u00a0space in a 118,000-square-foot building<\/p>\n<p>Cost: $120 million<\/p>\n<p>Tickets: Adults, $19; college students and military, $17; children ages 6 and up, $12; free for children under age 6. Tickets valid for two consecutive days.<\/p>\n<p>Location: 101 S. Third St., Philadelphia<\/p>\n<p>Information: (215) 253-6731 or www.amrevmuseum.org<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links:<\/strong> <a id=\"LPlnk176834\" href=\"http:\/\/www.delawareonline.com\/story\/life\/2017\/03\/23\/philly-yorktown-tale-2-american-revolution-museums\/99261238\/\">http:\/\/www.delawareonline.com\/story\/life\/2017\/03\/23\/philly-yorktown-tale-2-american-revolution-museums\/99261238\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk514934\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/04\/13\/arts\/design\/a-new-museum-of-the-american-revolution-warts-and-all.html?_r=0\">https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/04\/13\/arts\/design\/a-new-museum-of-the-american-revolution-warts-and-all.html?_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk363368\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amrevmuseum.org\/updates\">http:\/\/www.amrevmuseum.org\/updates<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk534138\" href=\"http:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/life\/lifestyle\/2017\/04\/09\/american-revolution-lafayette-epaulette-davenport-dorchester-mass-Jim-Richardson\/stories\/201704090040\">http:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/life\/lifestyle\/2017\/04\/09\/american-revolution-lafayette-epaulette-davenport-dorchester-mass-Jim-Richardson\/stories\/201704090040<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk727876\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/04\/05\/mdfdeusa-wwi-the-mcny-commemorates-the-centennial-of-the-us-entrance-into-wwi-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/04\/05\/mdfdeusa-wwi-the-mcny-commemorates-the-centennial-of-the-us-entrance-into-wwi-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk894779\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/04\/02\/mdfdeusa-wwi-la-fayette-nous-voila-the-united-states-declare-war-on-germany-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/04\/02\/mdfdeusa-wwi-la-fayette-nous-voila-the-united-states-declare-war-on-germany-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a id=\"LPlnk112992\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/03\/26\/mdfdeusa-wwi-centennial-say-hello-to-lady-liberty-the-patrouille-de-france-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2017\/03\/26\/mdfdeusa-wwi-centennial-say-hello-to-lady-liberty-the-patrouille-de-france-mdfdejesuisladyliberty131\/<\/a><\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk144947\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2016\/12\/11\/mdfdeusa-troubled-times-lets-hear-it-for-la-fayette-hamilton-for-some-inspiration-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-hamilton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/2016\/12\/11\/mdfdeusa-troubled-times-lets-hear-it-for-la-fayette-hamilton-for-some-inspiration-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-hamilton\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk827535\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdeusa-lady-in-liberty-visite-historique-du-comte-gilbert-de-pusy-la-fayette-a-leiny-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-nps100\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdeusa-lady-in-liberty-visite-historique-du-comte-gilbert-de-pusy-la-fayette-a-leiny-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-nps100\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"LPlnk983970\" href=\"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdefrance-le-comte-gilbert-de-pusy-la-fayette-nomme-president-dhonneur-du-mdfdeparis-nyc16-cop21-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-nps100\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/blog\/mdfdefrance-le-comte-gilbert-de-pusy-la-fayette-nomme-president-dhonneur-du-mdfdeparis-nyc16-cop21-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130-nps100\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 20th 2017: Alcorn McBride brings Siege of Yorktown to life at new American Revolution Museum.\u00a0The nine-minute experiential attraction in the Siege Theatre plunges 70 visitors at a time into the heat of the battle. Guests view the allied American and French victory over the British Army on a 180-degree surround screen. The experience is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,4714,1278,5548,4833,260,4730,8,160,161,9,10,11,1493,4834,7056,6796,4720,165,5547,767,408,6337,5546,58,7912,14,226,6145,15,16,172,5622,59,5694,4697,20,6756,5360,56,4752,7319,5314,4721,7055,6332,7243,300,618,4722,27,4805,8196,4710,5833,5621,4763,28,4764,5675,193],"tags":[8410,400,8691,8672,7985,721,8686,7819,8690,8671,337,5078,8673,6872,8689,8681,8666,5040,8684,1199,2215,8687,152,8692,3188,156,6866],"class_list":["post-20250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-agriculture-and-crafts","category-airlines","category-architecture","category-arts","category-banks","category-cinema","category-civil-rights","category-culture","category-diplomatie","category-dom-tom","category-ecology","category-economy","category-education","category-electronics","category-employment","category-energy","category-engineering","category-environment","category-europe","category-exhibitions","category-fashion","category-festivals","category-food","category-francophony","category-french-american-relations","category-gardening","category-gastronomy","category-gay-rights","category-global-warming","category-high-tech","category-history","category-immigration","category-international-events","category-internet","category-journalism","category-latest-news","category-leadership","category-lgbtqa-2","category-litterature","category-mdfde-2","category-music","category-native-americans","category-photography","category-politics","category-publishing","category-racism","category-schools","category-sciences","category-sculpture","category-security","category-sightseeing","category-slavery","category-social-entrepreneurship","category-society","category-sustainability","category-theater","category-tourism","category-tweets","category-wildlife","category-wines","category-womens-rights","tag-alexander-hamilton","tag-england","tag-harrisburg","tag-king-george-iii","tag-la-fayette","tag-la-perouse","tag-liberty-bell","tag-mdfdejesuisladyliberty130","tag-national-civil-war-museums","tag-new-england","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-robert-a-m-stern","tag-rochambeau","tag-the-american-alliance-of-museums","tag-the-daughters-of-the-american-revolution","tag-the-jamestown-yorktown-foundation","tag-the-national-park-service-nps","tag-the-paccard-foundry","tag-the-statue-of-liberty","tag-the-u-s-congress","tag-the-u-s-department-of-the-treasury","tag-the-united-states-of-america","tag-thomas-paine","tag-virginia","tag-washington-d-c","tag-yorktown"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20250"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20262,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20250\/revisions\/20262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.francaisdeletranger.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}