Newporters played a vital role in the American Revolution (1775-1783). They served in combat, financed the war effort and helped forge the revolutionary ideals of the new nation. As later generations of Newporters faced the tensions of a changing society and their own struggles for freedom and equality, they also shaped — and reshaped — public memory of the country’s founding.

This exhibition explores how diverse Newporters experienced the tumult of the Revolution and how later artists, writers and community organizers from Newport defined our understanding of the war in innovative, often radical ways that met the challenges of their times. In this anniversary year marking 250 years of American independence from Great Britain, the exhibition revisits the commemorative fervor inspired by the previous anniversaries of the 1876 Centennial and 1976 Bicentennial. These celebrations inspired and provoked Newporters. While some romanticized the past, others turned America’s war for independence into a rallying cry for revolutions in their own time, bringing us closer to fulfilling the promise of America.

Created for this Semiquincentennial, contemporary artworks by Dawn Spears (Narragansett and Choctaw), Veronica Mays and Michelle Erickson reflect on the enduring importance of Newport’s Revolution today.

The exhibition is included with admission to Rosecliff.