WASHINGTON, June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will be immersed in the dramatic arc of labor, power, wealth, success and failure in America as the museum opens "American Enterprise" in the Mars Hall of American Business July 1. The nation's business story will unfold in an 8,000-square-foot gallery in the museum's new Innovation Wing.
National Museum of American History, American Enterprise exhibition
Entrance to American Enterprise in the Mars Hall of American Business
Red River Cart
Spokes characters featured in American Enterprise
Fordson Tractor
Through more than 600 objects, images, hands-on activities and video, "American Enterprise" traces the country's development from a small, dependent agricultural nation to one of the world's most vibrant economies.
"Our goal is to make history essential by presenting the compelling ideas and ideals of America and animating them through transformative experiences," said John Gray, the museum's director. "'American Enterprise' chronicles the tumultuous interaction between capitalism and the common good."
The exhibition is made possible by significant support from Mars, Incorporated, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and SC Johnson. Generous support came from Intel, Monsanto Company, the United Soybean Board and History Channel. Additional support is provided by Motorola Foundation, 3M, Pete and Linda Claussen, the William T. Kemper Foundation and John Deere.
"'American Enterprise' will convey the drama, breadth and diversity of America's business heritage along with its benefits, failures and unanticipated consequences, through four chronological eras from the 1770s to the present. Within these eras are advertising stories and a biography wall with capsule stories of inventors, entrepreneurs, marketers, regulators and others.
Eli Whitney's cotton gin, a Fordson tractor, Alexander Graham Bell's experimental telephone, a 1929 New York Stock Exchange booth, Alfred Bloomingdale's personal credit card and Michael Bloomberg's Bloomberg terminal are among the artifacts in the exhibition.
In the Wallace H. Coulter Exchange hub, interactive displays will provide an understanding of business practices. Visitors can light the "Tower of Power" or take the Farming Challenge. The state-of-the-art SC Johnson Conference Center will allow the museum to share "American Enterprise" with educators and students across the nation.
The exhibit's website will launch July 1 at http://americanenterprise.si.edu. Smithsonian Books is the publisher of the companion book, American Enterprise: A History of Business in America.
The National Museum of American History is located on Constitution Avenue N.W. between 12th and 14th Streets. To learn more about the museum, check http://americanhistory.si.edu.
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