Loyalists: Americans Against the Revolution

Not all Americans wanted a Revolution. Beginning in the fall of 2027, the Museum of the American Revolution will present a major exhibition exploring the lives of those who remained loyal to Britain. It will be the first large-scale, United States-based exhibition in nearly 50 years to examine Loyalist stories — white, Black, and Native American — and to show how the Revolution was not only a struggle for independence but also a civil war that fractured families and communities.  

From enslaved people who sought freedom through the British Army, to Native nations struggling to preserve sovereignty, to families forced to leave their homes and rebuild new lives in Canada, visitors to the exhibition will encounter the varied motivations of Loyalists. Loyalists saw independence as reckless and dangerous, and many believed the British Empire provided greater stability and liberty than any new American experiment could promise. Others, particularly enslaved people and Native nations, saw allegiance to Britain as a more pragmatic path to freedom.  

Through artifacts, works of art, documents, maps, and immersive storytelling, the exhibition will uncover the diversity of Revolutionary-era experiences and challenge the traditional narrative of “liberty versus tyranny.” Instead, it will illustrate how both Revolutionaries and Loyalists claimed to champion liberty — offering guests a more nuanced and empathetic view of the era.  

At its core, the exhibition explores enduring human dilemmas: the struggle to decide what to stand for, the challenge of preserving families and communities when loyalties divide, and the reality of neighbors finding themselves on opposite sides of a conflict. These were lived realities of the Revolutionary War, and they remain relevant today.   

Loyalists builds directly on the Museum’s mission to uncover and share a more complete, multifaceted story of America’s founding. Opening following The Declaration’s Journey, it will serve as a compelling complement — reminding visitors that the Revolution was never a story of unanimous agreement, but one of dissent, division, and debate.  

Under the curatorial leadership of Matthew Skic, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, and guidance from Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Alan Taylor and a distinguished scholarly advisory committee, the Museum will bring together the latest scholarship, new research, and extraordinary artifacts from collections in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Visitors will leave with a deeper appreciation for the Revolution’s complexity and the ways its legacies continue to shape life today.