年代分期
獨立建國 Formation of the United States of America (1790-1838)
「一個共和國，如果你們守得住的話。」
— 班傑明富蘭克林答”制憲會議之成果”
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
— Benjamin Franklin's answer to “what the Constitutional Convention had produced”
緊挨著大西洋沿岸的一連串小殖民地，經過獨立戰爭的洗禮，蛻變成一個擁有民主立憲與自治政府的新國家，美國。
From a series of isolated colonial settlements hugging the Atlantic Coast, the United States evolved into a new nation, born in revolution, and guided by a Constitution embodying the principles of democratic self-government.
[相關展品]
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7a. 俄亥俄州首府哥倫布（STATE CAPITOL, OHIO）by THOMAS COLE et al, 1861
建築師：伊希爾唐恩、A.J. 戴維斯；主設計：湯瑪士寇爾。攝影 © 湯姆派特森。
Ithiel Town and A. J. Davis, architects; design largely by Thomas Cole. Photograph © Tom Patterson.十九世紀許多州政府大興土木蓋議會，希臘風格象徵民主聖地。
As Americans became more politically active in the mid-1800s, legislators wanted to express their identity in their statehouses. Like many new state capitol buildings, Ohio’s Greek Revival statehouse recalled the birthplace of democracy. Construction - which took some 20 years to complete - was also rife with politics among competing architects and designers.
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7b. 郡選舉（THE COUNTY ELECTION）by GEORGE BINGHAM, 1852
油彩‧畫布，96.5 x 132.1公分。© 聖路易藝術博物館。
Oil on canvas, 38 x 52 in. (96.5 x 132.1 cm.). © Saint Louis Art Museum.這幅看來擁擠的畫作，描繪老少貧富形形色色選民的投票情形，特別是整體構圖無單一焦點，展現了民主的包容與平等精神。
In this crowded composition, the artist suggests the inclusiveness of democracy. Young or old, rich or poor, all of the men gathered at the foot of the courthouse on Election Day appeared as equals. The lack of a single focus emphasized the ideal that no one vote was worth more than another.
