New Bush Center Exhibit Features Historic Documents
A new exhibition at the George W. Bush Presidential Center features rare versions of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as books by philosophers John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau and a 14th-century copy of the Magna Carta.
The exhibit, titled “Freedom Matters,” is open at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU campus until Dec. 31, and the pieces are from the collections of the Harlan Crow Library and David Rubenstein. It coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the presidential center.
“The Freedom Matters exhibit will be a real treat for our visitors,” said Ken Hersh, Bush Center CEO and president. “Thanks to Harlan (Crow) and David (Rubenstein) for opening their private collections of historic documents and artifacts for our audiences. The Bush Center is honored to celebrate democracy and fundamental freedoms. I can think of no better way to commemorate the Bush Center’s tenth anniversary than with a tribute to our nation’s foundational values.”
Beyond the document displays, the exhibit promises to take visitors on “an interactive journey through the experience of freedom itself, including where freedom comes from, what it means, the characteristics of free societies, and the role of the individual in protecting and spreading freedom around the world,” per a news release for the exhibit. “The exhibit builds on itself, demonstrating the evolution, understanding, and pursuit of freedom throughout history.”
“Case studies through moments in history – including the creation of the United States, the Civil War and Reconstruction, women’s suffrage, the Indian Citizenship Act, Japanese American incarceration during World War II, the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and marriage equality — are centered on primary sources, including the documents themselves and narratives and perspective of people of the time,” the press release adds.
Admission to the “Freedom Matters” exhibit is included with tickets to the museum’s permanent exhibit, which are available here.
