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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new temporary “Spirit of ’76” exhibition at Freedom Plaza in the nation’s capital, commissioned by former President Donald Trump, is highlighting lesser-known heroes and martyrs of the American Revolutionary War as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary commemorations. Supported by the National Park Service, the installation transforms the plaza just blocks from the White House and the Capitol into an open-air gallery featuring 22 statues and sculptural installations that aim to honor the “heroes and martyrs of the Revolution” and celebrate the enduring “Spirit of ’76” in American life. The centerpiece is the 23-foot-tall Spirit of Liberty statue, which holds an exact bronze replica of the Declaration of Independence in one hand and raises a sword in the other, with reliefs around its base depicting the signing of the Declaration, George Washington crossing the Delaware River, and the British surrender at Yorktown. The exhibition opens with a restored equestrian statue of Delaware statesman Caesar Rodney, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who is remembered for his overnight ride from Dover to Philadelphia in July 1776 to break Delaware’s deadlock in favor of independence. Once displayed in Wilmington’s Rodney Square before its removal in 2020, the statue now occupies a prominent position in Washington. Other installations include 12 bronze figures representing ordinary Revolutionary War soldiers such as Samuel Whittemore, who fought British troops at age 78 and survived severe wounds, and Simon Knowles, who enlisted at 15 and later returned to life as a farmer. An immersive Prison Ship Martyrs memorial, designed as a walk-through outline of a British prison ship and accompanied by the sound of a newly restored fountain, commemorates the estimated 12,000 Americans who died aboard such vessels, a toll the National Park Service notes exceeded U.S. combat deaths in the war.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.