In Washington, an exhibition retraces 250 years of American history in 30 objects

How to summarize 250 years of American history in just 30 objects? This is the challenge that the Smithsonian, a collection of American museums, had to take on to celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776.

Among the objects chosen by the US government-funded institution are a small ink-stained mahogany desk, a light bulb, a leather flight suit and a baseball jersey.

These pieces among others will be exhibited for two months in Washington starting Tuesday, as the 250th anniversary of independence approaches.

“It’s a colossal task,” Abeer Saha, who was one of the handful of curators responsible for choosing objects from among the 150 million present at the Smithsonian, an institution which manages more than 20 museums and galleries, told AFP.

"What we've tried to do is find those highlights, those moments, those stories that illustrate how Americans have sought to realize the ideals first expressed in Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence," one of the Founding Fathers. of the United States and the main author of the document, adds the one who spent more than two years on this project.

As part of this anniversary, Donald Trump seeks to put his mark on many symbols of the United States.

For example, he would push to print a $250 bill with his image, a first for a person still alive for more than 150 years, according to American media.

But according to Abeer Saha, the selection of objects, for the first time exhibited in the same room, was decided without any political intervention.

An AFP journalist noted that the only reference to the current president in the collection was a "Trump-Vance" campaign badge, placed alongside those of other recent presidents from both the Democratic and Republican Party.

- Freedom, innovation, pioneers -

The exhibition entitled "American Aspirations" is located inside the historic Smithsonian building, near the National Mall in the US capital.

The tour begins with the small desk where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It was designed especially for the third president of the United States.

Lisa Kathleen Graddy, a curator specializing in the history of American politics, says Thomas Jefferson had an eye for history and put a note on his desk to certify that it was the desk where the declaration was written.

Nearby is a large poster on which appears a text written by a famous American abolitionist of slavery, Frederick Douglass. It was held up during a parade in 1863 during the Civil War, calling on black people to fight.

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