McCormick Freedom Museum

What a pity, they closed the museum – and became a project… as given the Noughties, freedom evolved to have a new importance. Nevertheless, though now a PROJECT (no longer a museum), they still have fabulous programs – well run and enlightening. So sign up for their updates, and like a buffet – pick and choose.

This was a very interesting museum and going there created a very thought-​provoking experience. I liked how they had a small gift shop, had an unbiased intro movie, and had interactive exhibits. The exhibits that I remember the most included:
a) the freedom of the press questions/​answers about those members of the press who died or were conflicted due to their career.
b) the station where you could create your own Bill of Rights
c) the wall of post-​its answering a question about Moments of Silence in schools
d) the booth where you could record your own personal message to President Obama
e) the gallery of Presidents… some photos were quite touching.
The museum is great for a quick visit, since it’s not that large and there was no cover fee. Though, I’m still confused as to why they didn’t sell any Democratic Party items at the gift shop– there was a strange abundance of baby clothes, mugs, and paraphernalia representing the Republican party. Hm…

FYI, as of March 1, the Freedom Museum is transitioning to become an outreach program. I don’t believe the museum is open to the public any longer.

Honestly, I was going to give the Freedom Museum 3 stars right off the bat because it really wasn’t «up my alley.» However, when I saw that it had a solid 5 stars by my fellow, picky Unilocalers, I quickly became a push-​over. To be honest, I didn’t do my museum visit research prior to visiting. If I didn’t randomly «rent» the Chicago Public Library passport on a whim, I probably would never have gone; figuring that there would be a charge involved. After all, it was free and I had this extra item in my wallet, bah. So for everyone’s awareness: IT’S FREE!
Now the building and all its glass made the museum what it was. It felt a bit empty, no matter if you’re an adult or kid. I did enjoy the brief video presentation about diversity but that was about it. I thought I was really into history… until I came here. (I guess I solely love the World Wars & American Civil War after all). Perhaps you’ll enjoy it more than me.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, because this was one of the best museums in our city and one of the more interesting education institutions I have ever visited, but the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum is now closed.
The exhibit will go on tour for the next year so others can appreciate it at least. :(

For such a timeless concept as the «five freedoms» (speech, expression, press, assembly, and religion) this museum is very modern.
Instead of stuffy displays about the Bill of Rights or Magna Carta, most of the museum’s exhibits are actually on touch screens. The amount of information, therefore, that can be accessed at this small museum (basically one floor, a film room, and a special exhibits area currently devoted to the electoral process) is much larger than its physical space.
But beyond the scope of what I expected, the thing that makes this museum worthwhile is its a living, breathing dialogue about free speech and the limits thereof. It begs the question, «where does my freedom end and yours begin?» Much of the museum is devoted to displays where a real free speech situation is presented and at the end of a presentation by both sides, the viewer gets to pick which way they would have decided a situation (as well as the way it was actually decided). It even lets the person know the percentage of people that voted the same way.
I went to the museum with a naturalized citizen from the U.K. who said, «this is what I love about you Americans. You discuss everything.» And, really everything about the first amendment is discussed. There is almost nothing off bounds. There are even displays planned for GLBT issues and immigration. Take a group that likes to debate and you may be discussing the museum’s contents for hours. Do this in a public place and the combined cost of hours of entertainment is free.
The only flaw is that as much as this museum defends free speech, in the name of being family friendly, it doesn’t push the envelope itself (not surprising as it’s sponsored by the conservative Tribune). There are no controversial displays. But I guess it would be a bit ironic to get a first amendment museum embroiled in a censorship case so I can see where they’re coming from.

everyone should visit this place.
it reminds us all of the freedoms we take for granted everyday and how our freedom is challenged everyday. from the short film i watched upon entering, to the interactive exhibits about first amendment rights, i was moved for the duration of my visit.
it’s not a huge place, not a long time commitment, but it definitely leaves an impression. it made me feel inspired like i haven’t felt since taking media ethics courses in college.
sometimes i have trouble staying engaged in reading the placards at museums, but all of the exhibits were very accessible.
check this place out. free admission til november 9!

When I first walked by this place and saw «Freedom Museum,» I thought, «Great, a ‘give ourselves a pat on the back because America is so great’ kind of place.»
Nonetheless, admission was free, so I decided to step inside and was pleasantly surprised.
Far from being a self-​aggrandizing exercise in patriotism, the Freedom Museum does indeed ask tough questions about freedom in America — and it does it in modern facility with interesting, interactive exhibits.
If you’re looking for a massive museum full of historic artifacts, this isn’t it, but if you want to soak up though-​provoking debate on the status and meaning of liberty in America, the Freedom Museum does an admirable job.
I wasn’t thrilled with everything there (citing the ⁹⁄₁₁ Commission Report as a «success» of American freedom and making almost no mention of the 2^nd Amendment), but on the whole, this place is an asset to Chicago.
They also host some very interesting events from time to time as well (see their calendar:
)

The freedom museum is a outstanding addition to the chicago museum community. I spend one hour there, and was enlightened. The interactive touch screen where you can vote are great and there is a number of them. You get a token when you get a free ticket for admission, to vote in special election section for your favorite presidental candidate. The section has special video on the presidental election process. There is also a short film about issues on freedoms in a little theatre in the back on the first floor. Want to learn about your freedoms as a american, check this place out! Worth the visit.

One of my goals for this semester was to try and go to as many Chicago museums as I can, and this was one of the first that I visited.
I went with a friend and we took the Red Line up to Grand and walked over. We were greeted by a friendly staff when we walked in the door and admission was free, but they still printed us off our «free ticket.»
The museum was pretty empty, it seemed very new and up to date. Most of it was breaking down issues, like they would have an issue like should bible clubs be allowed in schools, and then you could choose which of four opinions you wanted to hear about it. I also remember seeing alot of trivia on which countries had what kind of free press and more exhibits on previous free speech law suits.
On the way out there’s an exhibit that breaks down the presidential campaign for you, and explains the jobs that people on each campaign do. And last, they give you a token and you can vote for one of the current candidates for president.
I plan on going back within the next few weeks by myself. It’s a museum were you read alot and I think that if I visited again and took my time I could learn more on a second visit.
The museum itself has a quiet and calming atmosphere.

The Freedom Museum was recommended to me by a colleague to take my students on a field trip since it went right along with our study of the 1^st amendment and the Constitution. The interactive exhibits are very engaging and thought-​provoking and you could easily spend an hour or two learning about the freedoms granted to you under the 1^st amendment. Also, the nice thing about the Freedom Museum is that it’s right off Michigan Avenue that once you’re done you can spend more time downtown.

«I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.»
The Freedom Museum is the first museum dedicated to freedom and the First Amendment: what it means, what it’s cost, what it’s worth, and why it’s so important.
The above quote is often used to illustrate the spirit of the First Amendment and is etched in the lobby of the Tribune Tower, attributed to Voltaire. In preparation for this review, I learned that the person responsible for that succinct and oft-​quoted phrase was actually a woman writing under a male pseudonym trying to sum up Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom of thought and expression.
My immediate reaction was dismay that this attribution would be etched in stone in a building dedicated to the dissemination of news, knowledge, and truth (yes, I’m talking about the Chicago Tribune), when I discovered the actual source of the quote within one minute. To be fair, that quote was carved decades ago, long before the Internet became the world’s fastest fact-​checker.
I also thought it seemed distinctly appropriate. A woman writes about a man’s beliefs on freedom and expression, but to get her work published she must say she’s a man. One of her phrases — which is about the right to expression — is then attributed to the man she’s writing about. The price she paid to be heard was to deny her gender, and apparently until the age of the Internet, to have her thoughts credited to someone who’d died 90 years before she was born!
The museum itself is similarly thought-​provoking. It is not a fun afternoon romp with the kids. Instead, it is a moving, and, dare I say it, educational experience. It was designed to help people, especially teenagers, know, understand, and appreciate the five freedoms granted in the First Amendment.
I was keenly interested in the freedom of the press displays and interactive exhibits. My degree’s in journalism, and even though I’ve chosen to be more of a publisher than a reporter, part of my heart is still in those investigative classes. I remember when my professor came back from an assignment in Zagreb with a cast. She’d been shot in the foot while covering the war. She turned around and went right back. Someone had to cover what was going on over there, and she’d taken that responsibility. For my final article in my investigative journalism course of study I chose to delve into the nursing home situation. I was able to visit the Department of Health for hours, days on end. What I found was appalling, and later the Indianapolis Star covered the issues.
The contrast between those two is what the Freedom Museum is all about. My ability to dig deep into the problems of the nursing home system was provided by the First Amendment. My professor’s dedication to reporting in a war zone — despite the danger she experienced — was due to that country’s lack of freedom of the press, and almost lack of press altogether.
That’s just one of the freedoms. Take my advice: spend $ 5, spend an hour in the museum, then spend some time in the city. When you pass a street performer, think about whether he’s got a permit, whether he’s in one of the areas forbidden by the recent ordinance, and whether you care. When you hear the guy with the microphone spreading «God’s Word» — is that freedom of speech? Freedom of religion? Just plain annoying? An uplifting message in the middle of the chaos? When you go out to eat, regardless if you’re a smoker or not, justify support of the no smoking law in Chicago in relation to what you’ve learned. Then figure out whether or not you think foie gras should be allowed, in the same context.
A good friend of mine would say I’m being all «learn-​y». My son would say it’s too much like school. I say that’s my right.
First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.