This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, also known as the Declaration of Independence. To celebrate, Dr. Chris Childers, Dean of Arts and Sciences, partnered with Humanities Kansas to bring a traveling exhibition, Declaration at 250, about it to campus. The exhibition opened at the Axe Library on Jan. 3 and will continue until Feb. 1.
According to Childers, the exhibition is a set of nine infographics “telling the story of how we got to the point where the 13 colonies were writing a declaration of independence.” Each covers a different topic, ranging from the origin of the Civil Rights movement, Women’s Rights, the fall of empires, and how it led to a growing number of independent countries, and what the landscape looked like around the time.
While each infographic holds a different topic, they all come together to show what led to the signing of the declaration, the creation of the document, what happened after, and the effects it had on the world stage.
Dean Childers is not only the Dean of Arts and Sciences for campus, but a professor of history, and said that “the exhibit not only brings the visitors into not only the moment itself of July of 1776, but what that has meant ever since.” He encourages not only students to take a look at the exhibit, but faculty and community members as well.
Humanities Kansas is a non-profit based in Topeka, KS and believes in preserving the stories of the United States of America, their website says it best; “Stories carry our culture and ideas change the world.” Declaration at 250 was created to show those very ideals and just how the ideas of the founding fathers of the United States still affect the world today and the waves they caused throughout history.
Declaration at 250 uses “primary sources to illustrate how Americans and people across the world have been inspired by the Declaration in their pursuit of equality and self-determination.” He explained that the exhibit goes into detail about what exactly is in the document and what went into its creation.
The colonies had 200 copies of the finalized Declaration be printed to be distributed to “the states, commanders of the Continental troops, and King George III” on July 4, but it was not until a special copy was printed onto vellum that the iconic signing of all 50 delegates who were present at the finalization took place. That very copy is the one that rests in the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. now in the 21st century.
Following the Declaration reaching Europe, word of what the colonies wanted for their people spread throughout the world and led to movements for independence from tyrannical governments and oppressive monarchies for decades to come. Not only that, but the words declaring equality, choice, and freedom have become the cornerstone of not only the United States government but many others.