A newly opened free exhibition at the University of Nottingham's Lakeside Arts, marks the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, and draws on a rich range of manuscripts and printed collections.
We the People: America's Fight for Freedom and Beyond explores the key issues at stake during the Wars of Independence and examines the complex challenges faced by the emerging United States. The exhibition also uncovers the often-overlooked role of individuals from Nottinghamshire in a conflict fought across the Atlantic, as well as their contributions to the early development of the new nation – from military leadership to diplomacy.
The exhibition, which opened on 1 April and runs until 13 September 2026, has been jointly curated by Dr Richard Gaunt, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham.
The United States of America thinks of itself as a young country. But as we approach the 250th Anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, this exhibition uncovers the country's origins in earlier European colonisation and explores the issues with which it grappled, as it sought to win and then realise its new-found freedom. From 'no taxation without representation' in the 1770s, to the continuing impact of slavery, and relations with Native American communities, the exhibition exposes the realities surrounding the fight for American Independence."
The United States of America was founded upon an idea of freedom. As a place of refuge from religious persecution and the birthplace of a new political system, the American colonists who rebelled against British rule saw themselves as the founders of a new nation.
By bringing together a wide range of manuscripts and printed collections, this exhibition explores the issues at stake in the Wars of Independence and considers some of the complex problems which faced the United States as it fought to win, and realise, its new-found freedom.
"Nottinghamshire connections are also highlighted; from the leading role of British military commanders William Howe and Henry Clinton in the Wars of Independence (1775-1783), to the appointment of Julian Pauncefote as the first British ambassador to the United States a century later, and the work of Eastwood-born Enid Hilton in improving the lives of Native American communities in California, the exhibition reveals the shared history of conflict and conciliation which has always hallmarked relations between Britain and the United States," added Dr Gaunt.
The exhibition runs until Sunday 13 September at the Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts. Admission is free. Opening hours are 12 noon to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays).
