“No Stamp Act” teapots manufactured in Britain for the American market. Beads. Smoothbore flintlock muskets. Pocket maps. Beaver round hats. Striped drugget. Thousands of objects, remarkable and mundane, were in motion as the British American colonies moved toward revolution. Some of those objects tell little-known local histories. Others offer insight into much larger, global histories. All are portholes letting us see the history of the revolutionary era from new and unexpected angles.
As the United States prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the American Historical Association has launched a new project, ’76 Objects: A Special Issue of the American Historical Review, to be published in June 2026.
In ’76 Objects, material culture of the revolutionary era takes center stage as a method of historical inquiry and teaching. As a journal that encompasses all historical geographies, the AHR will take a global approach to the era’s history through a diverse range of objects located in museums and at historical sites across the United States and the globe.
Each object will be interpreted in an essay of approximately 1,000 words that offers new or different insights into the world of the revolution in the Americas and beyond. We expect the objects to be grouped into sections, each with an introductory synthetic essay. In addition to the print and online versions of the journal, this project will have an expanded digital component. The issue is designed to engage multiple audiences in the history of these objects and the time period.
Pitch Us
Pitches should be submitted by December 9, 2024, be no more than 150 words, and should identify the specific object, thematic focus, and key point(s) that will be addressed in the proposed essay. We invite authors with expertise in any geographic area.
Each proposed essay must focus on a specific object, using it as evidence in elucidating a broader topic, theme, idea, event, etc.
Final submissions will be due February 1, 2025, and will include:
· 1,000-word essay
· High-resolution image of the object, in JPG or TIFF format, and accompanying use permissions
Please contact the ’76 Objects project director, Sarah Weicksel (sweicksel@historians.org), for additional information or to consult about a possible object for inclusion in the project.