Worlds of 1776: Global Perspectives on the American Revolution
Background
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence has prompted renewed reflection on the history and meaning of the American Revolution. While the Revolution is often framed primarily as the founding moment of the United States, historians increasingly emphasize that the conflict unfolded within a much broader global context, shaped by interconnected political, economic and cultural forces spanning multiple empires, regions and societies.
Seen from this broader perspective, the American Revolution forms part of a wider set of eighteenth‑century transformations, including the expansion of European empires, the intellectual developments of the Enlightenment, and the economic and technological changes associated with the Industrial, Financial, Commercial and Scientific Revolutions. Together, these interconnected processes contributed to early forms of globalization and helped shape the political, social and economic structures of the modern world.
Project Description
In dialogue with ongoing commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this project brings student research and voices into semiquincentennial planning and events on campus and beyond, including the DukeArts “We the People” initiative.
In collaboration with library staff, team members will explore Duke Libraries’ collections on the American Revolution and pre-modern global history more generally. Team members will select archival items for deeper study and help develop a physical and online exhibition scheduled to debut in Rubenstein Library February 2027.
Through research into primary and secondary source materials, team members will examine the American Revolution as a global event rather than the local founding of a new nation. By tracing connections across local, regional and global dynamics, team members will ask “What else was happening in 1776?” and examine how the Revolution unfolded within the wider ambitions of the British Empire, Indigenous nations and confederations, other European maritime empires, and societies across the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds.
Together, this work advances a more global understanding of a moment often framed in primarily local or proto-national terms.
Anticipated Outputs
- Physical and digital exhibit in partnership with Rubenstein Library to debut in February 2027
- Written, audio or video documentary reports or podcast-like interviews
- Public exhibit(s) and corresponding event(s) in Durham
Student Opportunities
Ideally, this team will include 1-3 graduate students and 15-30 undergraduate students who are interested in or have a background in history, law and policy, literature, economics, philosophy, religion, medicine, business and/or military science.
In Fall 2026, undergraduate students will enroll in History 267: The Worlds of 1776: The American Revolution in Global Context. This course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:25-2:40.
Team members will gain experience in:
- Rubenstein exhibit coordination and planning, including archival object and theme selection, layout and design, label editing and coordination and digital production
- Historical fluency and literacy, including an understanding of how history is researched, interpreted, and used in public discussions and commemorations
- Primary and secondary research skills and engagement with professional scholars and museum partners
Graduate and professional students will have the opportunity to take on leadership roles, including serving as project managers and as mentors to undergraduate students while receiving mentorship faculty and library staff.
Timing
Fall 2026 – Spring 2027
Fall 2026:
- Select archival objects and secondary source material for further research
- Develop exhibit materials
- Choose and develop supplementary projects, including possible individual or small group research topics
Spring 2027:
- Finalize exhibit
- Plan exhibition debut and complementary events
- Edit and develop online publication related to individual or small group projects
- Propose next steps and continuing work
Crediting
Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters
Image: W.D. Cooper, “Boston Tea Party,” The History of North America (London: E. Newberry, 1789)
