Alabama Department of Archives And History

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage The Alabama Department of Archives and History will complete the design and development phase of the project to create a new long-term exhibit called "Alabama Voices," to be located at a 12,000-square-foot gallery in the west wing of the archives building now under construction. The exhibit will offer an overview of Alabama history presented through the stories of a wide variety of people who actually made that history. Through engagement with the lives of real people from the past, students and other visitors can better understand and appreciate the rich, complex history that has shaped today's Alabama. This kind of understanding not only helps citizens become better informed about their state, it can also help strengthen the bonds of community that are the basis of a healthy civic life. Resource material from the research on and development of "Alabama Voices" will also be available for teachers to use for classroom instruction on Alabama history. This project is concerned with collection documentation, research, and exhibit design, but the larger project will help all Alabamians and the state's many visitors understand the important events that have taken place in Alabama, such as the formation of the Confederate States of America, the development of the U.S. space program, and many important events in the civil rights movement.