A Revolutionary museum opens in Philadelphia

Hours after the Sons of Liberty heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud on July 9, 1776, they toppled a gilded equestrian statue of English King George III in Bowling Green, a Wall Street park in New York City.

You can see and hear that literal tipping point when the new Museum of the American Revolution opens April 19.

To many American colonists, the king’s statue symbolized economic oppression. Between 1765 and 1775, they grew increasingly frustrated by England’s trade and tax policies. Then, on April 19, 1775, Massachusetts patriots fired at British soldiers on Lexington Green and Concord Bridge, sparking a bloody eight-year war for independence.

For the past 10 years, figuring out how to unfurl the drama of the American Revolution has been the task of R. Scott Stephenson, who grew up in Upper St. Clair. As vice president of exhibitions, collections and programming, he has examined 3,000 artifacts, many from the Valley Forge Historical Society.