Revolutionary Roots

As the nation marks 250 years, Yale and New Haven honor their deep Revolutionary roots with exhibitions, events, and historic documents.

The United States Semiquincentennial marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Yale, founded in 1701, and New Haven, established by English settlers in 1638, and one of the nation’s earliest cities, incorporated in 1784, will mark the anniversary with events and exhibitions throughout the year.

New Haven City Historian Michael Morand ’87, ’93 M.Div. is also the director of community engagement at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. A resident of New Haven since 1983, Morand was tapped by Mayor Justin Elicker to be co-chair of the America 250 Commission with Kim Futrell, deputy director of arts, culture, and tourism for the City of New Haven.

YourYale had the chance to speak with Morand just as the “Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism” exhibit opened at the Beinecke. It features an original Declaration of Independence and will be on view through September 27, 2026.

How are New Haven and Yale connected to the American Revolution?

New Haven and Yale have deep connections to the American Revolution — to the efforts that began before 1776; to the fighting that started with the battles in Lexington and Concord in April 1775; and throughout the revolution. Napthali Daggett was president pro tempore of Yale from 1766 to 1777, followed by Ezra Stiles as president from 1778 to 1795, and both played roles in the Revolution. Stiles has a very important literary diary that gives insight into New Haven at the time.

New Haven was about the 20th largest community in the country and was the largest community in Connecticut. New Haven served as co-capital with Hartford from 1701 through 1875. It was also involved in national and international trade, the latter especially with the Caribbean. Nearly half of the commerce was with the Caribbean. New Haven was a major place and very active.

The vast majority of New Haveners were patriots, though some people were loyalists. New Haveners were among the first to join the fight begun in Massachusetts in 1775, and New Haven was also a Connecticut battle site. On July 5 and 6, 1779, British and Hessian troops invaded in what’s called by some Tyron’s Raid. The invading troops attacked from both the East Shore and from West Haven, sacking supply houses and ships as well as private homes, though New Haven was spared major burning. The Pierpont family home, now the Visitors Center, was turned into a makeshift hospital, and the fighting happened all around downtown, reminding us that this was very much a very real set of events in our community.

What is so special about the copy of the Declaration of Independence that the Beinecke has?

Yale is one of the very few places that stewards an original printed version, known as the Dunlap Broadside, of the Declaration of Independence, printed on July 4, 1776. Approximately 200 were printed, of which only 26 survive — 23 in our country and three in the United Kingdom. The original held by Yale Library is one of the best that survives. You may know the great engraved copy with John Hancock’s grand signature. Hancock signed that document on August 2, 1776.

The document that’s on view here is the first printing from July 4 — a first document of the nation. This year, Beinecke Library has it on view for six months, through September 27. When you visit the Beinecke, you’ll see how great it looks for being 250 years old. We don’t know where this document went, but we know that one of them printed that day was sent to General Washington. Yale has stewarded it since 1936.

The first reading of the Declaration of Independence was on July 8, 1776. The Beinecke maintains an annual tradition, and will hold a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with readings of the Declaration of Sentiments and of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 oration this July 8 at 4:00 p.m.

What gets you excited about the 250th anniversary of America’s founding?

I’m really excited by what’s going on around campus and in the New Haven community. Kim Futrell and I are spearheading the City’s efforts, and we will have many, many events. There are some that look back in time, others that look to today, and those that look to the future. There are historic aspects about groups and communities in town and on campus in the 1770s, and there are also efforts to record people’s contemporary views. Who are you today? Where did your people come from? What’s going on with the community? It’s an exciting time when many are thinking about what the past means in the present for the future.

We launched New Haven’s efforts on January 21, the anniversary of New Haven’s establishment as a city in 1784. As a few examples of the more than 60 different activities already noted, there was a three-day inaugural First America conference on March 26–28 that focused on the legacies of the Declaration of Independence for Native nations. The Beinecke will welcome numerous classes from New Haven public schools for tours this spring. And on April 19, there will be a commemoration of New Havener Roger Sherman who is buried in Grove Street Cemetery.

How was Roger Sherman connected to Yale and New Haven?

Roger Sherman moved to New Haven in 1761, when he was about 40 years old. He didn’t attend college and was a self-taught lawyer. He died in 1793 and is now buried in Grove Street Cemetery.

Sherman was intimately involved in the life of New Haven as a bookseller, as the treasurer of Yale, and in various local and state civic offices. He was part of the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress, and he went on to serve as a representative and a senator in the new national Congress, as well as being the first person elected mayor of New Haven.

Importantly, Roger Sherman is the only person to sign all four basic documents of the nation: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of the Confederation, and the United States Constitution.

He was the lead person responsible for the Connecticut Compromise, which led to the bicameral house and senate in the Constitution. He was also one of the five members of the committee, led by Thomas Jefferson, who presented the Declaration of Independence.

Sherman worked hard, and not only with people he always agreed with, but he never faltered in his determination. He was not a man of great pomp and ceremony, so he didn’t stand out as a showman, and in some ways, he has been considered the forgotten founding father. I think there is a lot in the work of Roger Sherman to inspire us today, if we take the time to get to know his very long, very accomplished career.