About This Exhibit
This exhibit explores the United States’ formative years, drawing from Vanderbilt University’s special collections and highlighting moments in early American history and culture from the colonial era through the Age of Jackson. Over these remarkable first 75 years, the United States proved the viability of a constitutional republic founded on the rights of its citizens, emerged as a global power, and cultivated a distinct American culture rooted in ideals of liberty and equality. The nation also expanded its borders from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.
Featured are letters, engravings, documents, and printed materials that capture the hopes and challenges of settlers, the ambitions of political and military leaders, the inspiration of educators and clergy, and the creativity of writers and musicians