Yale's Beinecke Library Examines Patriotism for Declaration of Independence Celebrations

Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library will explore the ideological underpinnings and print manifestations of patriotism from the nation’s founding to the present day. 

Running March 16–September 27, 2026, the exhibition will feature around 80 artifacts of Americana ranging from political speeches to comic strips, maps, and posters from Yale Library Special Collections investigating the concepts of national identity, patriotism, loyalty, and dissent. It is curated by Dr. Joshua Cochran, Curator for American History and Diplomacy at the library.

The key themes are:

* Absolutism which traces the growing critique of absolutist monarchy and how philosophers imagined new forms of political community with foundational political texts including medieval English statutes and works by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on view

* Great Awakenings Amid Shifting Religious and Political Landscapes reflecting on the impact of religious revivals and emerging ideas of individual freedom, justice, and authority, with sermons and religious tracts from the mid-18th century by itinerant ministers and Colonial preachers

* Declaring Independence featuring rare Revolutionary-era texts including Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and a 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence

* Nation Building in the Revolution’s Shadow documenting how stories and myths about the American Revolution shaped early ideas of patriotism and national attachment, displaying military records and influential historical texts

* Print Culture and the Rise of American Patriotism exploring the role of print in fostering national attachment in the early American republic, with Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, early printings of the proposed Bill of Rights, maps and Noah Webster’s first American dictionary printed in 1828 on show

* A Question of Loyalty gathering government reports, oaths, and advocacy documents to trace the role of loyalty and dissent in American democracy

* Patriotism as Ideology featuring a handwritten draft of Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion (1922) which offered a descriptive account of democratic politics in the modern era, plus a 1971 Doonesbury comic by Garry Trudeau

* The Vision in Our Heads gathering songs, stories, myths, and celebrations that draw upon key American symbols to reveal the complexities of national belonging and the role of diversity and dissent in fostering patriotic attachments e.g. a draft of Saul Steinberg’s 1976 New Yorker cover in which a double-sided pencil—one red, the other blue—sketches the flag

* Patriotism and the Military with revolutionary writings such as Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis from 1776, as well as posters spanning the 20th century advocating for the inclusion of Black and gay service members in the military

* Competing Ideas of American Exceptionalism including protest posters, rally programs, speeches, and political ephemera

* Local, National, and International Perspectives examining the enduring tension in the United States between international perspectives that consider movements and ideas across borders, and more inward-looking views that regard foreign influences with suspicion

* Patriotism, Dissent, and Justice illustrating how protest movements have continued to align their causes with national ideals while affirming a belief in the possibility of reform and justice within the system. On view are programs, photographs, posters, and protest materials, including a program for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963

* “Let America Be America Again” spotlights how patriotism is a work in progress, including a draft of Langston Hughes’ Let America be America Again from 1935.