Moments That Made Us

Moments That Made US, a special exhibition during the America 250 commemoration, explores how generations of Americans have given meaning to the ideals set out in the Declaration of Independence. 

The exhibition looks back across centuries and highlights both challenging and celebratory times from the colonial era to more recent generations. The exhibition explores five themes drawn directly from the Declaration of Independence: Created Equal; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; Free and Independent States; Consent of the Governed; and We Mutually Pledge. The featured moments from American history inspire curiosity about the events that shaped the nation. They remind us that our story was never inevitable, we shaped it at every turn. 

The exhibition was developed through a multi-state collaboration to ensure that Americans throughout the nation would have the opportunity to meaningfully engage in the nation’s 250th anniversary. It adapts the acclaimed Moments That Made US exhibition created by History Colorado and currently on view at the History Colorado Center in Denver into a format that allows host venues to customize it for their audiences and connect local history to the nation’s story.