An American Experiment

Step into a laboratory of ideas where history meets hypothesis.

An American Experiment (Washington’s Version) invites you to explore the connections between Washington State’s Constitution and America’s founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These documents represent this “American Experiment,” reflecting the ideas of the country’s founders on how to govern their people.

This exhibition reimagines constitutional ideas as scientific concepts. You will encounter interactive installations, archival materials, and “lab reports” that trace how Washington’s framers built on, reacted to, and sometimes reinterpreted ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Come observe, question, and experiment with the building blocks of civic life.