JULY 27, 2026

Trump-commissioned 'Spirit of '76' exhibit opens at Freedom Plaza to mark America's 250th anniversary

A new outdoor exhibition called "Spirit of '76" has opened at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration. Commissioned by President Donald Trump, the exhibit features 22 statues and sculptural installations honoring Revolutionary War figures, including a restored equestrian statue of Caesar Rodney, 12 bronze soldiers, a Prison Ship Martyrs memorial, and a 23-foot centerpiece called the "Spirit of Liberty." The exhibition is free to the public and is scheduled to remain on display throughout the semiquincentennial celebration.

The "Spirit of '76" exhibition transforms Freedom Plaza into an open-air gallery focused on lesser-known figures of the American Revolution. Designer Matthew Taylor led Fox News Digital on an exclusive tour of the installation, describing the exhibit's emphasis on ordinary Americans rather than the Founding Fathers most commonly found in textbooks.

Taylor opened the tour at the Caesar Rodney equestrian statue — a restored bronze monument that stood for decades in Wilmington's Rodney Square before being removed in 2020. Rodney, a Delaware signer of the Declaration of Independence, rode roughly 80 miles overnight through a storm while severely ill to cast a tie-breaking vote for independence in July 1776. The statue now occupies a prominent position at Freedom Plaza, blocks from the White House and the Capitol.

Arranged around the plaza are 12 bronze sculptures representing Revolutionary War soldiers chosen for their individual stories rather than their fame. Among them is Samuel Whittemore, who fought British troops at age 78 and survived after being bayoneted multiple times and shot in the head, living into his 90s, according to Taylor. Another figure, Simon Knowles, enlisted at 15 and served alongside George Washington before returning to farm life.