Exhibit—Freedom: A History of US

Our changing ideas from the founders to Obama’s election

May 12–June 5
John Edward Smith Gallery (Kemin Cultivation Center)
Included with General Admission

Since 1776, when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the idea of freedom and our understanding of its implications have changed dramatically. This exhibit traces the evolving concept of freedom from the founding era to the election of Barack Obama. Among the highlights are a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, a printed draft and the official copy of the U.S. Constitution, Lincoln’s handwritten notes for speeches, and letters by leading figures such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., and more.

On loan from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History