This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Commemorating this moment allows us to reflect on the ideals expressed in 1776 and on their continued resonance in American life.
Throughout 2026, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum explores how ideals such as liberty, equality, perseverance and unity are reflected through the lens of baseball.
The American flag rescued by Rick Monday on April 25, 1976, at Dodger Stadium will be exhibited on the Museum’s third floor through Labor Day Weekend. It will mark the longest time the flag has been in one public location and is on loan from Monday, who has preserved the flag since that day during America’s bicentennial.
The moment during that game 50 years ago was my spontaneous reaction to what was happening, and I never realized at the time how profound those few seconds would be for so many Americans.
Rick Monday • All-Star outfielder
Explore how people, teams and moments in baseball history show the ideals on which our nation was founded.
I know how lucky I was to have been born in America and had a chance to play the game I loved. The greatest game of them all: Baseball.
Ted Williams • Hall of Fame Class of 1966
Handwritten documents penned circa 1857 by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and originally submitted as part of a convention called to codify the rules of the emerging National Pastime are exhibited in the Museum’s Taking the Field exhibit.
It’s a lot like the United States Constitutional Convention... It was a full and fair interchange of equals, and what came out of it was a document that allowed everybody to move forward together.
Hayden Trubitt • Lender of The Rules of Base Ball
Seven Hall of Famers and two dozen former major league players, along with members of the Louisville Slugger Warriors and Women’s Pro Baseball League, welcomed fans to Cooperstown over Memorial Day Weekend.
The memories you’ll make here will last a lifetime. Awed by priceless artifacts. Moved by stories and triumphs that inspired and united a nation. Find your way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and you’ll make history of your own.
From the Civil War to Civil Rights and all points in between and beyond, the game of baseball supports and reflects many aspects of American life, from culture to economics and technological advances. It inspires movements, instills pride and even heals cities.
Through the Museum's Membership Program, baseball fans from around the country and around the world can be part of the team that is preserving the Game’s history and celebrating the all-time greats.
The memories you’ll make here will last a lifetime. Awed by priceless artifacts. Moved by stories and triumphs that inspired and united a nation. Find your way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and you’ll make history of your own.
From the Civil War to Civil Rights and all points in between and beyond, the game of baseball supports and reflects many aspects of American life, from culture to economics and technological advances. It inspires movements, instills pride and even heals cities.
Through the Museum's Membership Program, baseball fans from around the country and around the world can be part of the team that is preserving the Game’s history and celebrating the all-time greats.
