General Info
Free with paid Museum Admission and to Members
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth, visitors will get a rare look at a reproduction of a draft copy of the Declaration of Independence with handwritten edits.
This special installation brings together a focused selection of objects from impactful moments in the nation’s 250-year history, inviting visitors to reflect on the promise of America, and the people who have worked to expand and uphold that promise across generations.
The cherished document, signed in 1776, expresses the right to equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights have not always been granted to everyone. Learn how people have worked to expand these rights ever since.
Installation Highlights:
- The Declaration of Independence, including a reproduction of an early draft and a prop version of the Declaration from the film National Treasure.
- Founding legacies and civil rights, connecting the nation's founding era to later efforts to expand equality through the story of Frederick M. Roberts, the first Black member of the California State Assembly.
- Women’s equality movements, including posters, banners, postcards, and political buttons connected to the 1911 California women’s suffrage movement and later women’s rights efforts.
- Latino/a education equality movements, including a school desk, a picture book highlighting Mendez v. Westminster, and a mural study commemorating the 1968 East L.A. school walkouts.
Plan your visit to see The Declaration in Progress at NHM and find inspiration for the ways we can help protect and foster the principles that form the foundation of democracy in the United States.
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Draft of the Declaration of Independence, reproduction engraved 1829
HelloThis copy of an early draft includes a section—later removed—that condemns the slave trade.
Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, MSS-592
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“Los Angeles Equality” poster, about 1911
HelloMillions protested, wrote petitions, and campaigned for suffrage (voting rights). Many California women won the right to vote in 1911.
Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, GC1312-3
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Women’s suffrage postcards, about 1910
HelloIn 1920, the 19th Amendment granted women the vote in every state.
Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 908-73-427, 908-73-428
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Political buttons, 20th century
HelloThe fight for women’s rights continued after women won the vote. In the exhibit, visitors will see many buttons that highlight efforts to support gender equality at work and in other public spaces.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, A.11458
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School desk, about 1900
HelloWhen Sylvia Mendez was not allowed to attend a school in Orange County, her family went to court. Many school districts separated students like Mendez because of ethnicity or language. In 1947, the California Supreme Court ruled that this was not fair to students with Mexican heritage. California soon outlawed school segregation based on race, as well.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, A9595.73-12a
