America 250: Life, Liberty, and Public Health

Temporary Exhibitions Gallery

August 10, 2026 – July 30, 2027

The David J. Sencer CDC Museum is excited to announce the opening of the newest exhibition, America 250: Life, Liberty, and Public Health, on view August 10, 2026- July 30, 2027.

For 250 years, the United States has grown not only in size and governance but in its understanding of what it means to safeguard the health of a nation. From the earliest struggles against smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria to the creation of quarantine stations, marine hospitals, and the first federal health agencies, public health has been woven into the American story from the beginning. Each generation confronted new threats caused by crowded cities, industrial pollution, contaminated water, chronic disease, and global travel and responded with innovations that reshaped how Americans lived, worked, and cared for one another.

As we mark a quarter millennium of independence, the nation’s public health achievements stand as some of its most transformative legacies. Immunization has been shown to eliminate once devastating disease, sanitation systems have made cities safer, and scientific breakthroughs have turned deadly infections into treatable conditions. Modern port health stations, disease surveillance networks, and emergency response systems reflect centuries of learning and adaptation. This anniversary invites us to look back at the challenges that shaped the country and to recognize how public health, often quiet and invisible, has been essential to the nation’s survival, resilience, and progress.