Museum of the American Revolution launches interactive multimedia timeline with historical objects, documents

Students, educators and history buffs worldwide now have the opportunity to virtually visit Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution through an interactive online feature.

The Museum of the American Revolution has debuted a "Timeline of the American Revolution," an interactive, multimedia historical timeline packed with a mixture of objects, artifacts and documents drawn from the museum's collection to explore key moments and little-known stories of the American Revolution.

“Our hope is that the Timeline will spark users’ curiosity, encourage discovery, and inspire deeper exploration of the powerful and fascinating stories of the American Revolution and its people,” said Adrienne Whaley, the museum’s director of education and community engagement.

The timeline, now available for free worldwide, includes high-quality images, descriptions of objects, links to related material and short videos with museum experts. Users can also create and download their own curated timelines using a “My Timeline” feature.

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To access the timeline, users can utilize browsers on mobile, tablet and desktop devices. There is also a downloadable version for offline users.

In order to position the objects in their historical context, the timeline is divided into the following four key sections:

Pride and Protest (1754-1775) — This section covers the years following the Seven Years' War as tensions began to rise between England and the American colonies. Artifact highlights include a musket purchased by the colony of New Jersey, a sword carried by a Scottish officer during the Seven Years’ War and a Stamp Act stamp. 

War and Independence (1775-1783) — This section covers the time from the start of the Revolutionary War through the Peace of Paris was signed to end it. Artifact highlights include the first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, a brass cap worn by a Hessian soldier and George Washington’s headquarters tent.

A New Nation (1783-1807) — This section covers the creation of the Constitution and the lead-up to the War of 1812. Artifact highlights include a button celebrating Washington’s presidential inauguration, the door handle to the Philadelphia house of Washington during his presidency and a punchbowl with a poem declaring “Freedom to the Slave.” 

An Ongoing Revolution (1807-Present) — This section reveals the ways in which the American Revolution endures to this day, in the ongoing struggles to advance American ideals of liberty, equality and self-government. Artifact highlights include a ribbon commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Continental Army veteran Joseph Plumb Martin’s memoir and a World War II recruitment poster that references the Revolutionary War. 

Later this year, the timeline will also include downloadable lessons and activities for use in the classroom, incorporating feedback from teachers across the country.

This new timeline is a redesign and relaunch of a multimedia timeline that the museum introduced in 2009, well before before it opened its doors, to showcase its collection and provide tools for educators. Changing technology caused the original timeline to become inaccessible, and rising interest from around the world led to this new iteration.