We the People: Alabama’s Defining Documents

June 29 – August 11, 2019
Huntsville Museum of Art


November 3 – December 31, 2019
Museum of Alabama


This temporary exhibition featured all six of Alabama’s constitutions, along with the 1861 ordinance of secession, which declared Alabama’s separation from the Union on the eve of the Civil War. This exhibition explored how these documents, some of the most important in state history, reflect their framers’ values, hopes, and fears. The exhibition was curated and designed by the staff of the ADAH, where the documents permanently reside. In preparation for the celebration of Alabama’s bicentennial year, extensive conservation work was conducted on the documents by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, Massachusetts.

In June 2020, We the People received an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).


Exhibit Press Release Award Press ReleaseExhibit Website

Virtual Tour (Huntsville) Virtual Tour (Montgomery)