For America 250, University of Utah library showcases ‘The Many Voices of Democracy’

As part of celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this Fourth of July, a library at the University of Utah has a new exhibit showcasing collections of cultural stories intertwined in the country’s history and how they gave rise to democracy. 

The exhibit, called “America in the Archive: The Many Voices of Democracy” will be on display at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library, on the fourth floor gallery, until Sept. 9. It was curated by Rachel Ernst, special collections reference librarian, and Amanda Hurtado, special collections program manager. 

At the exhibit, “discover the layered history of democracy in America through the voices and stories of the people who were instrumental in helping to create democracy and essential to preserving it in our present and future,” reads a description of the exhibit on the library’s website, while noting it will “explore American history with a particular focus on Utah and the Intermountain West.” 

It promises to lay out the nation’s history not as a straight line, but as a web of stories from different peoples and beliefs, and pointing to gaps in the record. 

In a news release issued Monday, curators said that one of the “unique challenges encountered” while creating the exhibit was how to use “archival materials that are geographically specific to the American West and temporally distant from the historical event in question.” 

“Consider the fact that the University of Utah was founded in 1850, but Utah Territory did not become a state until 1896 — both well after the 1776 signing and the revolution,” curators said in the news release. “This historical distance required us to think more broadly about the American Revolution and how its repercussions rippled across the continent.” 

The display starts with a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence from Peter Force’s multi-volume “American Archives” of historical records. It then “moves viewers through time, beginning with the indigenous people and histories that long predate the European colonization of this continent,” curators said. 

“Viewers then examine the philosophers and thinkers who laid the groundwork for American democracy, and the historical events that brought colonists and settlers ever westward as cartographic boundaries shifted and changed,” curators said. 

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The library’s hours vary, so check its website for access before you go. 

Exhibition tours with a curator are also available upon request. To request one, email [email protected]. 

Looking for other ways to celebrate America 250? Visit America250.utah.gov to find an event in your community.