The
Oneida Nation will help dedicate the new
Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The tribe was the first nation to join America as an ally during the
Revolutionary War. Oneida citizens fought alongside colonists in key battles in the late 1700s and tribal leaders developed close relationships with
George Washington, a military commander who later became America's first president.
“The museum will play an important role in showcasing, and forever preserving the history of America’s founding, and the Oneida Indian Nation is incredibly proud to be included in that story,” Ray Halbritter, the tribe's representative, said in a
press release on Monday. “By accurately recognizing and honoring Native Americans’ formative role in building our great country, this wonderful new facility will teach the true, multicultural story of America’s founding.”
According to the press release, the entire second-floor atrium at the museum, featuring a gallery and other materials, is named for the Oneida Nation. A six-minute film explores the tribe's decision to side with the American colonists, The New York Times reported.
The
tribe donated $10 million toward the $120 million facility. Halbritter sits on the board of directors and will speak at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Following the end of the Revolutionary War, the Oneida Nation joined the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy in signing the
Treaty of Canandaigua with the newly-formed United States government in 1794. The agreement recognized the boundaries of the Oneida Reservation in present-day New York.
Read More on the Story:
Museum of the American Revolution, opening April 19
(The Philadelphia Inquirer 4/16)
Museum of the American Revolution set to open in Philadelphia
(The Washington Post 4/14)
Museum of the American Revolution: America's first ally, the Oneida Nation, gets its due
(The Philadelphia Inquirer 4/13)
A New Museum of the American Revolution, Warts and All
(The New York Times 4/13)
Join the Conversation
