Permanent Exhibition
American Battleground: South Carolina's Revolution
Opening June 27, 2026 | Trace South Carolina’s transformation from a thriving British colony to one of the Revolution’s most important battlegrounds.
Vita Potior Libertas
Opening June 27, 2026
Coming this summer, the South Carolina State Museum will present a new exhibition in honor of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
Through dramatic visuals, powerful artifacts and engaging multimedia, the exhibition traces South Carolina’s transformation from a thriving British colony to one of the Revolution’s most important battlegrounds. Guests will see well-known figures and moments alongside surprising, lesser-known stories that reveal how central the state was to the war and the nation that followed.
An interactive “Battle Stations” map brings the conflict to life, allowing guests to explore hundreds of battles and skirmishes across the state through technology and dynamic storytelling.
The exhibition will also explore how the Revolutionary War shaped everyday lives. Patriots and loyalists. Lowcountry merchants and Backcountry farmers. Women, free and enslaved Black people, and Native communities. Their stories will reveal how the war meant different things to different people.
Explore a New Era of Exhibitions
American Battleground: South Carolina’s Revolution is the first major exhibition developed and produced under the Reimagine the Experience (RTE) initiative. RTE is a collaborative effort to feature more of the museum’s extensive collection on display and renew more than 150,000 square feet of gallery space with updated exhibitions and immersive multimedia features that help place guests at the center of the experience.
Featured Object Highlight | Flag of the 2nd SC Regiment
As guests enter American Battleground: South Carolina’s Revolution, the first object they will see on display is the flag of the Second South Carolina Regiment.
This regiment, which included Francis Marion among its commanders, successfully defended Charles Town at the Battle of Sullivan's Island on June 28, 1776. The flag was presented to the Second Regiment a few days after that battle. The center of the flag bears the motto, Vita Potior Libertas, in Latin, which translates to, "Liberty Rather Than Life." The drum also features an early use of the crescent symbol. In 1779, British troops captured the flag during the Battle of Savannah. British commander Col. Augustin Prevost took the flag back to England, where it was passed down through several generations before being jointly purchased by the South Carolina State Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
This exhibition was made possible with support from:
