The exhibit is the third in the ongoing Marblehead 101 series.

Life in Marblehead as the 18th century ended and the 19th century began was distinctly different from the colonial and revolutionary periods. The United States was new, full of excitement and pride at its success, and earnest in its striving for high ideals.
    The war of independence had made the United States a new nation, but English influences on architecture and style remained strong, and would never be removed from the culture. As the 18th century drew to a close, Georgian architecture began to change in England and in the United States, reflecting new ideas.
    The Federal period, from 1780 through 1830, was a time of political and cultural development of the United States in every aspect of life. The founding generation chose to associate with the ancient democracies of Greece and Rome. The new Federal style was associated with America's national identity.  Independence, and democratic ideals were affirmed in government, politics and the arts and culture. The new America was to be the Athens of the new world, a center of democracy.
    The Federal style was associated with America's national identity. New state and national buildings reflected the philosophical goals of the United States. Details inspired by the world's greatest democracies, Greece and Rome, were incorporated, using swags, garlands, urns and columns. The styles in architecture were reflected in furniture, fashion and all the arts, as America strived to create a new kind of society.