In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson based the colonists’ right to separate on the King’s denial of their freedom—their “inalienable rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet for more than 225 years, the principle of freedom and our understanding of its implications have evolved. The debates, decisions, and battles of our past shape the United States in which we live today. This exhibition, Freedom: A History of US invites you to read the words and see the images of men and women who arrived in this land either by choice or in chains, but who together forged this nation. Their words and images provide insight into the complexity of the past.

This freestanding panel exhibition uses reproductions of rarely seen documents and photographs to record and illustrate important people and events that trace the evolving principle of freedom in our country. The exhibit is arranged into six thematic sections: “The Founding Era,” “Young Republic,” “The Nation Dividing: The Firebell in the Night,” “The Union Threatened: The Union Preserved,” “Emancipation,” and “Epilogue: The Price of Freedom.” The contents are drawn from two privately-held collections, the Gilder Lehrman Collection and the Kunhardt Collection.

Freedom: A History of US was developed in 2001 to run in conjunction with an eight-week PBS television series on how the American concept of freedom has evolved over more than two centuries. It was developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Meserve-Kunhardt Collection. The project was funded by General Electric, who also donated the traveling exhibit to the Indiana Historical Society for re-circulation.

The exhibit is composed of 48 freestanding panels. Each panel is 30 inches wide and 80 inches tall. The exhibition system is flexible which allows the exhibit to be displayed in several possible configurations … a running W, a rectangle, or separate sections around a room … depending upon the space available. Sections are viewed from one side only.

Requires 50 to 60 linear feet.

Borrowers may request a single section, all sections, or any combination of sections. A single section requires an open area of approximately 13' x 5' or roughly 65 sq. ft.

Lesson plans, suggested projects for students, and other supplementary learning tools and materials can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/.

Section #1: The Founding Era. Click on images to enlarge.

Section #2: The Young Republic

Section #3: The Nation Dividing: The Firebell in the Night

Section #5: Emancipation

Detail from Section #5