History Colorado has named its newest exhibition “Moments that Made US,” but the most important word in that title is “US.”
Not that the moments are insignificant. The exhibition singles out 50 objects that are meant to symbolize “the struggles, triumphs and resilience that have shaped the nation.” The show is part of a statewide initiative to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, which coincides with Colorado’s 150th anniversary.
It is a double-header of a year, and this well-researched, deftly tuned-in attraction knocks it out of the ballpark. It is the most ambitious offering that the state’s history museum has mustered in a very long time.
A helmet worn by an emergency responder during the 9/11 terrorist attack. (Ray Mark Rinaldi, Special to The Denver Post)
How could it not be with George Washington’s spurs, Jackie Robinson’s bat and an actual moon rock as part of the many artifacts displayed inside glass vitrines in the museum’s expansive, lower-level gallery?
But the exhibition’s definition of “US” is what stands out in the current national climate, which provides some extraordinary context. At federal facilities commemorating important moments in the nation’s history, there is a wave of whitewashing rushing through.
One example: In January, officials took down an exhibit at the National Historical Park in Philadelphia that recounted the lives of nine people enslaved by George Washington during his time as president. The move followed a directive by President Trump, aimed at the Interior Department, to remove materials that promote “corrosive ideology” at federal sites.
Another example: Earlier this month, officials stopped flying a rainbow flag outside of the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, which commemorates the beginning of the country’s gay rights movement. The Park Service said it was complying with a rule that only the official U.S. and POW flags appear at historic sites. Activists and local legislators, who noted the flag had freely waved since 2019, were quick to call it a political act.
Colorado’s “Moments that Made US” is a middle finger to that version of history. The all-caps “US” is an obvious play on words, but it is also a very loud declaration that this exhibit’s idea of history and the identity of the country are all-inclusive and full of truth-telling. The things that made us great, in this state-directed narrative, include when minority factions — those that have been discriminated against, mistreated, abused and, yes, enslaved — overcame those obstacles and took their place in the American community.
And so the list of objects that formed us includes a spoon forged by patriot and silversmith Paul Revere to commemorate the “moment” that was the 1773 Boston Tea Party. But it also includes a poster offering a $150 reward for the capture of an escaped slave that was printed after the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, another key “moment” in this exhibition’s lineup.
The exhibition has glass negatives of photographs of Yellowstone National Park taken by William Henry Jackson, commemorating the park’s 1872 founding. But it also has an 1893 election ballot from Pitkin County, commemorating the right of women to vote.
It has a battered helmet used by a firefighter responding to the emergency that was the 2001 World Trade Center bombing. But it also has a Black Lives Matter poster from 2020.
In this show, moon landings, D-Day and the Chicago World’s Fair have equal importance to the emergence and clarification of rights for Blacks, Latinos, women, union workers, LGBT folks and members of the press.
The exhibition is meant to be national. The objects included come largely from Colorado’s collection of artifacts, but the story is enhanced by loans from institutions like the Museum of Chinese in America, the Marshal Fogel Collection, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the National Archives and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Still, it speaks with a voice of the West. If this exhibit were conceived in a place like New York or Washington, D.C., would the founding of national parks be included as a key moment? Or would there be a brass scale marking the 1849 beginning of the Gold Rush, or an antique gas pump signifying the 1956 development of interstate highways? In that way, the attraction has a broad appeal but also a local one.
The exhibition runs through Oct. 18. (Provided by History Colorado)
And it is only possible because of generations of work by diligent (and often under-appreciated) Colorado researchers, archivists and preservationists, who were backed by open-minded citizens and funds from governments that believe history reflects everyone’s story.
That, without a doubt, has been the ideology followed by both state and federal historical agencies over time; history has become increasingly inclusive and in that way, increasingly honest. It is hard to know how the federal government’s conservative turn will impact the practice of preserving important objects, or how it might change the way they are displayed at places like the Smithsonian Institution, which has long held the official record of American history in many people’s eyes. It appears we are living through our own “moment” in 2026.
But this exhibit offers hope, and a reality check, for those worried about the situation. The feds may be backing out of inclusivity, but states are not. They are going for it.
One example: The New York State Museum in Albany just opened a show using church hats to tell stories about Black women in the upstate region.
Another example: The Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson just put on display the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded posthumously to civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer by Joe Biden in 2025.
There may be varying definitions of what constitutes “us” going on at public museums. But there are still plenty of comprehensive, well-rounded, educational and entertaining history exhibits — like this one — to visit. That is not likely to change anytime soon.
IF YOU GO
“Moments that Made US” continues through Oct. 18 at the History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver. Info: 303-447-8679 or historycolorado.org.
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