Peabody Essex Museum Celebrates America250 With New Declaration of Independence Exhibition

The museum's exhibition explores Salem's critical role in printing and circulating the historic document.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 4:04am

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A bold, stylized illustration composed of a repeating pattern of a vintage printing press in neon blue, pink, and yellow, capturing the energy and impact of the printed Declaration of Independence.The Peabody Essex Museum's new exhibition celebrates Salem's pivotal role in spreading the revolutionary message of the Declaration of Independence through the power of the printed word.Salem Today

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts is opening a new exhibition called "Pressing Importance: Salem and the Declaration of Independence" on May 2, 2026 to commemorate the United States' 250th birthday and Salem's 400+ anniversary. The exhibition will feature rare materials from PEM's Phillips Library collection, including two of the earliest surviving broadside editions of the Declaration of Independence, as well as Revolutionary-era manuscripts, newspapers, pamphlets and broadsides that explore themes of freedom, communication and civic engagement.

Why it matters

While the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia is well-known, the story of how the document's revolutionary message reached towns and cities across the colonies is less familiar. The exhibition aims to highlight Salem's outsized role in shaping the American story by circulating the Declaration of Independence in the days following its signing.

The details

The exhibition, curated by Dan Lipcan, the Ann C. Pingree Director of PEM's Phillips Library, will feature materials from PEM's extensive collection that offer a rare opportunity to examine Salem's critical role in the printing and distribution of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition will invite visitors to reflect on the power of the printed word to shape history.

  • The exhibition opens on May 2, 2026.
  • The exhibition coincides with the United States' 250th birthday and Salem's 400+ anniversary celebration.

The players

Peabody Essex Museum (PEM)

An art museum located in Salem, Massachusetts that is opening the "Pressing Importance: Salem and the Declaration of Independence" exhibition.

Dan Lipcan

The Ann C. Pingree Director of PEM's Phillips Library and the curator of the "Pressing Importance: Salem and the Declaration of Independence" exhibition.

Phillips Library

PEM's library collection that includes two of the earliest surviving broadside editions of the Declaration of Independence, as well as other Revolutionary-era materials featured in the exhibition.

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What they’re saying

“While the story of the Declaration's signing in Philadelphia is widely known, far less familiar is how the document's revolutionary message reached towns and cities across the colonies in the days that followed. And Salem had an outsized role in shaping the American story.”

— Dan Lipcan, Ann C. Pingree Director of PEM's Phillips Library and curator of the exhibition

The takeaway

This exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum provides a unique opportunity for visitors to explore Salem's pivotal role in the printing and distribution of the Declaration of Independence, shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of American history and the power of the printed word to shape the nation's founding ideals.