American Antiquarian Society to Mark America’s 250th with Printing and Declaration Programs
By What’s Up Worcester Staff
WORCESTER, Mass. The American Antiquarian Society will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence with two public programs focused on printing, the American Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence, according to a June 12 news release from the organization.
The programs will take place at the American Antiquarian Society, located at 185 Salisbury St. in Worcester. Both events are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged but not required for the July 4 Open House, according to AAS.
The first program, “From Press to Protest: How Printing Shaped the Revolution,” will be held Tuesday, June 30, from 7 to 8 p.m. The program will examine how printing technology and printed materials, including newspapers, pamphlets, and broadsides, helped shape resistance to British rule and build support for independence.
The program will be led by printing historian Andrew P. Volpe. According to AAS, Volpe will also discuss colonial debates over freedom of the press and freedom of speech, including questions of responsibility and accountability connected to those freedoms.
Before the June 30 program, attendees may take an optional guided tour of the AAS library. The tour begins at 5:45 p.m. and will include the eighteenth-century printing press used by AAS founder Isaiah Thomas. The tour is free, but registration is required through the American Antiquarian Society.
AAS said the June 30 program will also be livestreamed for people who cannot attend in person. Registration and livestream information are available through the American Antiquarian Society.
On Saturday, July 4, AAS will host a community Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will focus on the Declaration of Independence and will include a public reading of the document at noon on the front steps of historic Antiquarian Hall.
Visitors will be able to view several original Declaration of Independence printings from the AAS collections, produced between 1776 and 1876. According to AAS, items on display will include the first printing of the Declaration in a newspaper on July 6, 1776, the first printing in a book on July 9, 1776, and several nineteenth-century versions.
Those later printings include an 1848 shorthand version, an 1865 trompe l’oeil print that uses the words of the Declaration to reveal a portrait of George Washington, and an embellished lithograph produced for the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, according to AAS.
The Open House will also include a hands-on printing press activity, where visitors can create commemorative take-home copies on a tabletop press. AAS said the activity is presented in partnership with Arion Press of San Francisco. A link to Arion Press was not included in the release.
Scott Casper, president of AAS, said in the release that the programs are intended to highlight the role printers played during and after the Revolution.
“These two programs highlight the extraordinary influence of printers during and after the Revolution as the new nation coalesced behind groundbreaking ideals,” Casper said. “The Declaration of Independence was powerful not just because it was written, but also because printers reproduced and distributed it, ensuring that its 1,320 words reached readers throughout the colonies and beyond.”
The programs are part of AAS’s US@250 initiative, which the organization says explores the history, legacy, and continuing relevance of the American Revolution through public programs and online resources.
The events carry local significance because AAS is based in Worcester and holds one of the country’s major collections of printed, handwritten, and visual materials from before 1900 in what is now the United States. Founded by Isaiah Thomas in 1812, AAS says its collection includes more than four million items, including books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, children’s literature, music, and graphic arts material.
AAS said its library is free and open to anyone with projects or interests related to its collections. The organization also offers free public programs throughout the year.
🔍 The W.U.W. Verification Box
• Project / Topic: American Antiquarian Society programs marking America’s 250th anniversary
• Current Status: Announced by AAS in a June 12, 2026 news release
• Key Dates or Decisions: “From Press to Protest: How Printing Shaped the Revolution” will be held Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from 7 to 8 p.m.; optional library tour begins at 5:45 p.m.; July 4 Open House will be held Saturday, July 4, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; public reading of the Declaration of Independence at noon
• Estimated Cost (if applicable): Free and open to the public
• Timeline (if known): June 30 program and July 4 Open House
• Immediate Next Steps: Registration is available through the American Antiquarian Society website; registration is required for the optional June 30 library tour and encouraged for the public programs
• Primary Sources: American Antiquarian Society news release dated June 12, 2026; American Antiquarian Society website
• What We Do Not Yet Know: Whether additional US@250 programs will be announced by AAS is pending official confirmation
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