The Promise of Liberty Exhibition at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City

Opening May 27, 2026, The Promise of Liberty: Words that Shaped a Nation is organized in cooperation with Sail4th 250 and made possible through the generous support of Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin and his civic engagement initiative Griffin Catalyst. The New York City exhibition is curated by Seth Kaller and the South Street Seaport Museum and is a companion to our larger The Promise of Liberty exhibition at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Highlights include a July 1776 Declaration broadside, one of Ken Griffin’s two rare first printings of the Constitution, early printings of the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation, and the advance text of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.