The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC is marking the 250th anniversary of US independence with a new exhibition titled 'In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness'. Opening on 14 May, the display features 250 objects that tell the American story, ranging from a revolutionary war-era gunboat to a Donald Trump supporter's 'Make America Great Again' hat.
An Expansive View of History
Anthea Hartig, the museum's director, explained the challenge of commemorating such a milestone. 'How do you structure a commemoration, celebration and time for reflection?' she asked. 'What we landed on were those moments where individuals or communities had fought for recognition and advocated for their own sense of identity and self in their role in creating and becoming a part of the United States. But we also wanted to do the playful.'
Hartig described the US as 'amazing, beautiful, complicated', citing James Baldwin's observation that 'American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.'
Key Artifacts on Display
Among the star attractions is the Philadelphia, a 53-foot flat-bottomed wooden gunboat built in 1776. The vessel sank during the Battle of Valcour Island and was recovered in 1935. Conservators are currently working to preserve it, using techniques that could extend its life by 'at least another thousand years'.
Other notable items include Thomas Jefferson's portable desk on which he drafted the Declaration of Independence, the Star-Spangled Banner, George Washington's military uniform, and a faux-pearl necklace worn by Abigail Adams. The exhibition also features more modern artifacts such as a Nintendo console, Phyllis Diller's joke file, and wedding cake toppers from a same-sex wedding in 2008.
Embracing Complexity
The exhibition does not shy away from difficult chapters in American history. It includes the Greensboro lunch counter from the 1960s civil rights sit-ins and a deck of playing cards made by a white Freedom Rider imprisoned in Mississippi's Parchman prison. Curators have intentionally placed objects in conversation to illustrate social progress, such as two wedding cake toppers side by side: one from 1957 and one from 2008.
Regarding the inclusion of a MAGA hat, Megan Howell Smith, the museum's head of experience development, stated: 'We're trying to show all things, all sides. We take very seriously that all people need to feel themselves represented here.'
A Year of Service
Hartig emphasized the museum's commitment to rigorous scholarship. 'We put ourselves through our paces internally,' she said. 'It doesn't mean our work can't be interesting and provocative and inclusive; it just also then has to be scholarly grounded.' She likened American history to origami, noting that 'our job is to unfold that origami bird or frog or whatever we've made – maybe it's an eagle – and to see how all of those folds come together.'
The exhibition opens at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on 14 May and will span all three floors of the museum, covering 250,000 square feet.
