National Museum of American History - American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

This rare silk banner was probably carried in one of Philadelphias many public parades during the 1790s. Most likely made by women, the banner is embroidered on both sides so that it could be viewed as it was carried down the street or hung from a prominent building. The Liberty figure wears a classical Grecian garment, carries a pole with a liberty cap on it, and nourishes the American eagleall while standing triumphant over the fallen crown and broken chains of monarchy. In the early 19th century, however, those chains increasingly came to symbolize the chains of chattel slavery. Liberty became associated with anti-slavery politics, and the figure of Liberty became a divisive rather than unifying image.

Foreword
JOHN L. GRAY

Register today so you can vote for a better tomorrow poster, c. 1948.

JOHN L. GRAY

Director, National Museum of American History

O F THE ENDURING IDEALS THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED IN our ongoing journey to create a more perfect union, two words, American democracy, are at the center of every discussion of what it means to be an American.

We use our history to shed light on the development of a distinctive democracyone that emerged from a bold and radical experiment and a great leap of faith to put aside a king and a hereditary aristocracy. The National Museum of American History invites and encourages our millions of visitors to participate in the broadest and most engaged ways in order to foster a vibrant American democracy. Yet how does our history inform todays contentious political climate, and how can we come together as a people?

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith and the National Museum of American Historys eponymous exhibition address some of the most pressing questions that affect the American people today. The museum is dedicated to sharing its collection of national treasures to ensure that American history is accessible and vital. Our mission is to help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future.

So we find no more important calling than to encourage the fullest participation in our democracyan essential driver of an inclusive future that values every American. We thank our colleagues from across the Smithsonian Institution, whose collective impact as the nations leading research and museum complex is revealed in projects such as this. And we are grateful to the contributors from leading institutions across our nation for offering their voices and insights.