As you move to your right, you encounter another tall introductory panel titled “Founding the Nation,” which asks, “Was liberty a reality for everyone?” This section examines how New Yorkers helped shape the early United States while confronting the contradictions between the nation’s ideals and its realities.

To the right of the introductory panel hangs a large graphic panel of The Congress Voting Independence, showing a meeting room where members of the Continental Congress sit at long tables while several men stand at the center holding documents. The gallery follows an S-shaped path created by tall walls that wind through the space. Along this route is another table-height case titled “Documenting New York,” containing original documents from the New York State Archives and the New York State Library. Large wall panels feature portraits of key figures such as Alexander Hamilton and Gayëtwahgeh (John Abeel, known as Cornplanter), with a replica pipe tomahawk displayed in a case beside Cornplanter’s panel. There are also table-height slant panels that contain interpretive text.

As you continue, you encounter objects, documents, and images tied to early state and federal history, including reproductions of the Treaty of Canandaigua, the New York and Federal constitutions, and the New York Bill of Rights. Notable artifacts include a gavel reportedly used by Walter Livingston, side chairs said to have been used in Federal Hall during George Washington’s inauguration, and Washington’s watch chain and seals. Materials related to treaty making appear throughout, including a roll of muslin treaty cloth gifted to the New York State Museum by the Seneca Nation. Nearby, Indigenous veterans are highlighted through a large contemporary image honoring continued military service, paired with a 1783 quote from Mohegan Chiefs reflecting shared sacrifice. There is a dedicated display area to honor these veterans. A War Mothers blanket from the Delaware Tribe of Indians is the first iteration of this display that will rotate over the course of the exhibit. A separate treaty-related quote from the US Constitution highlights federal authority over relations with Indigenous nations.

Approaching the end of this section, there is content on illegal state treaties and Indigenous displacement. Large prints of artwork appear nearby, including Honoring the Harvest by Dawn Dark Mountain (Oneida Wisconsin), part of a series commemorating the Treaty of Canandaigua, and The Great Canandaigua Treaty—1794 by Robert Griffing, depicting treaty negotiations held under an oak tree. The gallery path leads to an open area which becomes the next exhibit section.