Declaring Independence

The Newberry is an independent research library that supports and inspires scholarship, teaching, and learning in the humanities. Our collection—some 1.6 million books, 600,000 maps, and 5 million manuscript pages—is a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the Middle Ages to the present. We connect people with this history in the Newberry’s reading rooms, program spaces, exhibition galleries, and online digital resources.

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A program featuring high school students from Chicago's  Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy

This program is full. You can watch a live stream of the program on the Newberry Facebook page or YouTube channel.

Register for free to receive the link to participate in this virtual program on Zoom. What does it mean to declare independence? What belongs in such a declaration? How do you frame a convincing argument that sets a blueprint for the future? A group of Chicago high school students from the Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy has been wrestling with these questions by engaging with Newberry collection materials, including American, Haitian, Venezuelan, and Mexican declarations of independence. With help from Newberry staff and scholars in the field, they are using what they’ve learned to formulate their own personal declarations of independence. This virtual program will combine readings from historical documents with recitations of student works. This program will be presented in English.¡Viva la Libertad! Forming More Perfect Unions Across the Americas is a series of public programs and an exhibition bringing together scholars, writers, artists, and community members to explore the independence struggles of the Americas and reflect on their legacies today. Looking back on the Age of Revolutions 200 years ago in Latin America and the United States, ¡Viva la Libertad! examines how new countries emerged from colonial rule, who gained freedom and who was left behind, and why so many are still fighting for liberty, racial justice, and democracy.   ¡Viva la Libertad! is being coordinated by the Newberry Library in partnership with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the National Museum of Mexican Art, Illinois Humanities, and Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy. The project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. The exhibition at the Newberry is made possible through the generous support of the Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation.Español ¿Qué significa declarar la independencia? ¿Qué debe contener una declaración de este tipo? ¿Cómo se enmarca un argumento convincente que establezca un plan para el futuro? Un grupo de estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria del Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy en Chicago ha estado bregando con estas preguntas apoyándose en materiales de la colección de Newberry, incluyendo las declaraciones de independencia estadounidenses, haitianas, venezolanas y mexicanas. Con la ayuda del personal de Newberry y especialistas en la materia, aplicarán lo que han aprendido para formular sus propias declaraciones de independencia. Este programa virtual combinará lecturas de documentos históricos con recitaciones de los trabajos de los estudiantes. Este programa se presentará en inglés.¡Viva la Libertad! Fundar Uniones Más Perfectas en las Américas comprende una serie de programas públicos y una exposición que reúne a académicos, escritores, artistas y miembros de la comunidad para explorar las luchas por la independencia de las Américas y reflexionar sobre su legado en la actualidad. Por medio de una mirada retrospectiva a la Era de las Revoluciones de hace 200 años en América Latina y Estados Unidos, ¡Viva la Libertad! examina cómo surgieron nuevos países del dominio colonial, quiénes obtuvieron la libertad y quiénes quedaron atrás, y por qué tantos siguen luchando por la libertad, la justicia racial y la democracia.Los programas y exposición relacionados con ¡Viva la Libertad! han sido coordinados por la Biblioteca Newberry en colaboración con la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, el Museo Nacional de Arte Mexicano, la organización Illinois Humanities, y Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy. El proyecto ha sido posible en parte gracias a una importante subvención del National Endowment for the Humanities: La democracia exige sabiduría. La exposición en la Biblioteca Newberry es posible gracias al generoso apoyo de la Carl &amp; Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation.

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Declaring Independence

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