Your kids could learn something they probably haven’t read in textbooks this summer at an exhibit at the Westin in Annapolis.
“The Hall of Presidents Before Washington” will open June 14, 2017 and will feature America’s 14 forgotten presidents. Between 1774 and 1789 there were 14 men who held the title of “president” before George Washington.
Prior to the implementation of the second Constitution in 1789, these men served as president of Congress under both the Articles of Confederation and the Continental Congress. They are mostly ignored in the classroom, according to the exhibit website. Many historians argue that they were not “real” presidents because they did not have separate powers from Congress, or that they didn’t do anything important. The collection of original, signed documents (one for each president) refutes this belief, according to the website.
Owned by brothers Sam, George and Steve Brown of Annapolis, the collection is the only exhibit of documents signed by these men in one place in the country. The exhibit will include a framed collection of portraits displayed in chronological order from Peyton Randolph to Cyrus Griffin. Under each portrait, visitors will be able to push a play button to hear a two minute history related to the president.
Two wall-mounted flat screens will show 15-minute films — one about the presidents and the other about the Treaty of Paris period when Annapolis played a key role in transforming the United States from a confederacy to a republic.
The grand opening of “The Hall of Presidents before Washington” is Flag Day, June 14 at 10 a.m. The exhibit is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day and is free. For details visit the Hall of Presidents Before Washington website, presidentsbeforewashington.org.
Find more fun ideas for summer here.
By Betsy Stein
