Facing Freedom in America

The Chicago History Museum refreshes its long-running "Facing Freedom in America" exhibit with new work on July 4, 2026, using images, artifacts and interactive elements to ask visitors what their own contribution to freedom might be. For the country's 250th anniversary, four artists have created new pieces reflecting on founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the 13th Amendment and the Northwest Ordinance, extending the exhibit's examination of how generations of Americans have struggled to define what freedom means.