Missouri History Museum

This exhibition explored the office, the men who occupied it, and their dynamic relationships with the public. Perpetually changing, whether responding to times of prosperity, crisis, or loss, the relationship between the American people and the office of the president is a fascinating one.

The American Presidency featured a dispatch case used by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, a microphone used by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his "fireside chats," and a formal gown worn by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Video stations examined life in the White House, the various roles of the president, the assassination and mourning of fallen chief executives, the presidency in the popular imagination, and life after the presidency. Photographs and graphics traced the history of the presidency from the creation of the office to the present day. The American Presidency offered captivating new perspectives on the job that is arguably the most powerful in the world.

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden was created by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Behring Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

The national tour was made possible by the United States Congress, Guenther and Siewchin Yong Sommer, Kenneth E. Behring, The Smithsonian National Board, and The History Channel.

The permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Behring Center was made possible by Kenneth Behring, the United States Congress, The History Channel, Chevy Chase Bank, Cisco Systems, Inc., Elizabeth and Whitney MacMillan, and Heidi and Max Berry. Additional support was provided by Automatic Data Processing, Inc., Business 2.0, KPMG LLP, Sears, Roebuck and Co., and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.