South Street Seaport Museum to Exhibit Rare First-Edition U.S. Constitution

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The Promise of Liberty will invite visitors to engage directly with the nation's founding history through one-of-a-kind original documents, rare books and more.

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South Street Seaport Museum has revealed ticket availability for The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation, a landmark exhibition of rare and historical documents marking a defining moment ahead of America's 250th anniversary. Opening to the public on May 27, 2026, The Promise of Liberty is the first exhibition to span the fourth floor of the Seaport Museum's A.A. Thomson & Co. building following the extensive renovation of the historic 1868 warehouse at 213 Water Street.

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, reflecting an enduring commitment to preserving and expanding access to the documents that define American democracy. The exhibition is curated by Seth Kaller and produced by South Street Seaport Museum, inspired by Kaller's comprehensive exhibition, guest-curated by Ken Burns at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

The Promise of Liberty will invite visitors of all ages to engage directly with the nation's founding history through one-of-a-kind original documents, rare books, broadsides, and ephemera, alongside select reproductions of visuals that collectively shaped the American story.

As a centerpiece of the exhibition, Mr. Griffin will loan a previously unannounced acquisition: a rare copy of the 1787 'Official Edition' of the United States Constitution-the second under Mr. Griffin's stewardship and one of just 14 surviving copies. Printed for delegates to the Constitutional Convention and Confederation Congress, this exceptionally rare document will be made accessible to the public for the first time in decades, underscoring Mr. Griffin's commitment to sharing foundational American texts and their values with broad audiences.

Additional highlights include a rare July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence and a 1789 printing of the Bill of Rights owned by one of the Representatives who helped shape it in the First Federal Congress.

On View Wednesday-Sunday | Opening May 27 | 213 Water Street | $10

In celebration of America's 250th anniversary, come experience this full-floor exhibition in the historic 1868 A.A. Thomson & Co. building and journey through the nation's founding ideas-tracing how they have evolved over time through rare defining documents and pivotal moments in history. If the United States has a mission statement, it was written 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence: "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." As you explore the fascinating and unique exhibition, you will see how this promise-established in 1776-was never fully realized and remains an aspiration we continue to pursue today.

Throughout the gallery, you will encounter some of the nation's most iconic 18th century documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Alongside these are exceptional handwritten pages from an undelivered inaugural address by George Washington, as well as remarkable 19th and 20th century treasures such as the Emancipation Proclamation and an advance copy of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "March on Washington" speech. In it, King describes the Declaration of Independence and Constitution as "a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir." Together, these extraordinary artifacts reveal how the pursuit of freedom has been redefined across generations.

Through rarely-seen documents and ephemera, you will discover pivotal moments that pushed the nation closer to equality-from the fight for religious freedom and the abolition of slavery to the movement for women's suffrage. Extraordinary pamphlets and treaties, one-of-a-kind personal correspondence from notable historical figures, striking broadsides, and first printings of landmark texts bring these pivotal episodes to life and connect you to the people who shaped them.

In the following sections, you will also experience how New York played a central role in this history. As the nation's first capital and a major port and printing hub, Lower Manhattan was a place of rapid growth, cultural exchange, and political importance. You will see how printers helped shape public discourse, solidifying freedom of the press, and how news and ideas traveled through early America with historic typefaces, compelling broadsides, and a working printing press, offering a glimpse into this dynamic world.

This exhibition offers the unique opportunity to experience the ongoing story of a nation shaped by words-where ideals have been tested, expanded, and reimagined over centuries.

Housed within the A.A. Thomson & Co. warehouse-a historical artifact in its own right-The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation showcases objects on loan as well as from the expansive collections and archives of the South Street Seaport Museum.

Additional highlights of the exhibition include exceptionally rare artifacts, including:

A 1765 recounting of the landmark trial of John Peter Zenger, whose acquittal helped affirm the principle of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

The influential 1776 pamphlet Common Sense by Thomas Paine, which rejected monarchy and made a powerful case for independence.

Eye-catching engravings commemorating George Washington's 1789 inauguration, including one of his boat parade across New York Harbor to City Hall.

The 1790 The Gazette of the United States publication of the Treaties of Hopewell, including the Choctaw treaty that ceded 69,120 acres in exchange for U.S. protection.

An outstanding first edition of Frederick Douglass's 1855 autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom, including a significant part of his speech "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"

A one-of-a-kind collection of broadsides and ephemera documenting the struggle for women's voting rights from 1914 to 1918.

A unique signed and inscribed 1937 press release for a speech commemorating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/South-Street-Seaport-Museum-to-Present-THE-PROMISE-OF-LIBERTY-Exhibition-20260504)._