Maryland Humanities & National Archives Bring New Bill of Rights Pop-Up Exhibit to Maryland
Exhibition Commemorating 225th Anniversary of Ratification of Bill of Rights Currently On View at 23 Venues Throughout State
(Baltimore) –Maryland Humanities is pleased to announce that it has helped bring to Maryland a new pop-up exhibition from the National Archives, The Bill of Rights and You, commemorating the 225th anniversary of the ratification of this landmark document on December 15, 1791. The exhibit is currently on view at 23 venues throughout Maryland—including middle and high schools, libraries, and museums— and will run through February 28, 2017.
The Bill of Rights and You spotlights one of the most remarkable periods in American history, explores the origins of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (collectively known as the Bill of Rights), illustrates how each amendment protects U.S. citizens, and looks at how Americans exercise the rights outlined in the amendments. The Bill of Rights and You invites visitors to connect directly with the people, places, and events that mark this historic document’s evolution.
The Bill of Rights and You co-curator Jennifer Johnson explains: “The Bill of Rights represents the Founder’s vision that it would be the people, through votes, that could change the Constitution with enough consensus. And when the people desired a Bill of Rights, our first ten amendments were added to our governing charter.”
Merry Ellen McGown, a middle school history teacher at Plum Point Elementary School in Calvert County, one of Maryland’s host venues, said: “We were excited to get the Bill of Rights exhibit! It is proudly displayed in our school library, and we have been having contests with it. For example, the first ten students to correctly name the ten amendments were awarded prizes.”
The Bill of Rights and You is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration and traveled by the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service (NATES). This exhibition was developed in collaboration with the National Archives’ National Outreach Initiative to commemorate the 225th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The exhibition is presented in part by AT&T, Seedlings Foundation, and the National Archives Foundation.
This exhibit is brought to Maryland in collaboration with Maryland Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
View the exhibit at one of these venues near you:
| · C. Burr Artz Public Library, Frederick County Public Libraries |
| · Calvert High School |
| · Calvert Library |
| · Carroll County Farm Museum |
| · Carroll Museums |
| · Cecil County Public Library |
| · Charles County Public Library |
| · College Park Academy |
| · Fairhaven |
| · Frederick County Public Libraries |
| · Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum |
| · Harford County Public Library |
| · Howard County Historical Society |
| · Howard County Library System |
| · Huntingtown High School |
| · Main Street Middletown |
| · Maryland State Archives |
| · Northwest Academy of Health Sciences – Baltimore County Public Schools |
| · Plum Point Middle School |
| · Southern Middle School |
| · Town of Thurmont |
| · University of Maryland, Department of History |
| · Washington County Historical Society |
Maryland Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities. For more information, visit www.mdhumanities.org. Maryland Humanities is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Maryland, private foundations, corporations, small businesses, and individual donors.