Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy
Please see photos below.
In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Wonders on Wheels Mobile Museum, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, is traveling a new exhibit, "The Arts of Democracy in New Mexico" this spring.
According to Jennifer Hasty who was the presenter on the mobile exhibit, Silver City was the first stop. On Friday, March 27, it sat in front of th Henry V. "La Burra" Morales Recreation Center. On Saturday, it parked on the north side of the Silver City Public Library.
Hasty explained the exhibits and why they were chosen by the NM Department of Cultural Affairs.
One of the panels presented the Native American presence in the United States. She mentioned the Bursum Bill, which was brought up in Congress to allow settlers to own and build on Native American land. She said the tribes sent warriors in the their war bonnets to protest in Washington, D.C., and their protest killed the bill.
Hasty talked about the importance of the press and had a small press inside the unit, which could print on paper using inked plates.
About a large presentation of the Declaration of Independence, she explained that because Thomas Jefferson's handwriting was not very good, they chose a calligrapher to write out the document in the form that we see it today.
Hasty also talked about a small voting booth, where she would show people how to do ranked choice voting. New Mexico does not have that choice, although some states do, with some of them now trying to get rid of it, as it often brings unexpected results, with the winner not necessarily being the one with the most first place votes..
She promoted democracy throughout the presentation, without noting that the U.S. is not a democracy, but rather a constitutional republic, for which she was corrected at least once.
The mobile exhibit was headed next to Grants and then to other destinations throughout the state to promote the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
To pause the slide show, mouse over the image.
