Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism

March 16–September 27, 2026

Marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism explores the complex ideological and political power of patriotism in the United States. Over time, conceptions of loyalty, allegiance, and national belonging have evolved, and patriotism has been likewise reimagined and reinvented through national conversations, policies, protests, and bloodshed. This presentation explores the distinctive ways that leaders and common citizens alike have revisited patriotism through historic writings, speeches, maps, photographs, drawings, and other items from Yale Library’s collections.