The Declaration’s Journey

PHILADELPHIA – The Declaration’s Journey is a one-hour documentary produced in partnership between WHYY and the Museum of the American Revolution, exploring the enduring influence of the Declaration of Independence through compelling stories, rare artifacts and voices that reveal its continuing relevance 250 years later.

Marking American’s 250th, the museum presents a major special exhibition exploring the history and global impact of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 to today. The exhibit showcases how, with more than 100 nations having integrated its ideals into their own independence movements, the American Declaration of Independence has become one of the most influential political documents in modern history.

Partnering with the museum, WHYY created an original 10-part digital series to complement the special exhibition. The one-hour documentary draws from the series and weaves those stories together into a cohesive exploration of the Declaration’s continuing influence, connecting historical events with contemporary issues while inviting viewers to reflect on the document’s enduring relevance. The content reflects stories from diverse cultural communities and explores international influences, immigration, women’s rights, racism, and the Declaration as a living document.

“The Declaration of Independence is more than a founding document, it is a living source of ideas that continue to shape our world,” said Bill Marrazzo, WHYY President & CEO. “We’re honored to partner with the Museum of the American Revolution to bring this important story to audiences nationwide and build on the success of the original digital series that inspired this documentary.”

American Public Television (APT) will distribute The Declaration’s Journey to public television stations nationwide, bringing this timely exploration of America’s founding document to audiences across the country during the nation’s 250th anniversary. The program will also be available to stream at the PBS@America250 explore page as part of APT’s America is Local collection, as well as on the PBS App and at PBS.org.

The program highlights stories and some of the most important and rare documents, works of art, and artifacts from around the world that reflect the complex 250-year history and legacy of the Declaration of Independence.

WHYY’s The Declaration’s Journey was co-produced by WHYY’s Karen Smyles and freelance producer Bill Horace. Museum of the American Revolution historians and curators provided scholarly direction and included Philip C. Mead, Matthew Skic and Emily Sneff, all of whom also appear in the documentary. The program also features museum President & CEO, Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, a long list of notable historians and scholars from institutions throughout the area, including the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello, Charlottesville, VA.

The Declaration’s Journey will be available to public media stations nationwide though APT on September 1, 2026. The exhibition at the Museum of the American Revolution goes thru January 3, 2027.

https://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/the-declaration-s-journey

Media Contact:
Gary Bramnick|215.351.1262
gbramnick@whyy.org

About WHYY:
WHYY, the Philadelphia region’s leading independent, non-commercial public media provider, has served southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and all of Delaware for more than 70 years. WHYY’s mission is to engage audiences, expand perspectives, and empower communities through lifelong learning, truthful reporting, healthy dialogue, and amplification of diverse voices. The station’s national production and presentation roster for public media includes Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley, the award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues; the children’s arts education series Albie’s Elevator and The Infinite Art Hunt; the weekly science and health program & podcast, The Pulse as well as a variety of documentaries, series, and specials. WHYY also serves as the Local Primary 1 (LP1) station for the Philadelphia emergency alert system (EAS) operational area, acting as the region’s primary broadcaster for receiving and relaying emergency alerts to other stations and cable systems—ensuring the public receives timely and potentially lifesaving information. For more information, visit WHYY.org

About APT:
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and nearly one-half of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. America’s Test Kitchen, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, The Chavis Chronicles, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Doc Martin, Hope Street, Lidia’s Kitchen, Midsomer Murders, Miriam and Alan Lost in Scotland, Pati’s Mexican Table, Rick Steves’ Europe, Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, Table for All with Buki Elegbede, Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. For more information visit APTonline.org.