For the nation’s 250th birthday, the Freedom Plane is traveling with several founding documents to transport Americans to 1776 without leaving their hometowns.
During a pit stop in Denver, Colorado, nine of the countries’ documents were available to the public. The documents are traveling aboard a donated Boeing 737.
“The Freedom Plane national tour is bringing real history to those across the country who may not be planning to visit our nation’s capital during this special celebratory year,” Jim Byron, the senior official serving with the Authority of Archivist of the United States, said during the March launch ceremony in Washington, D.C. “What they prove today is that the nation that our Founding Fathers brought forth has more than survived the test of time.”
“It has thrived, and 250 years on, we are now charged with carrying on what they started to ensure that this noble American experiment lives on boldly and proudly,” he continued.
Now, the Freedom Plane is traveling to eight different cities across the country with documents including William Stone’s engraving of the Declaration of Independence from 1823, the Articles of Association from 1774, the Treaty of Paris of 1783, a secret printing of the Constitution from 1787, state delegations’ voting records to approve the Constitution in 1787, and Senate markups showing revisions to the Bill of Rights in 1789.
Additionally, the collection displays the 1778 Oaths of Allegiance to work toward the country’s independence, sworn and signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
The documents started out in Kansas City, Missouri, in March, then headed to Atlanta, Georgia, before going to Los Angeles, California. The fourth stop was in Houston, Texas, before traveling to Denver.
While in Denver, it was clear the public was eager to view them and express their patriotism, with lines stretching at the History Colorado Center during a workday. The Freedom Plane will be departing the Mile High City on Sunday en route to Miami, Florida, until July 5.
They’ll be heading next to Dearborn, Michigan, until July 26 and the final stop on the tour is in Seattle, Washington, until Aug. 16 before the documents make their return to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The initiative, for the United States’ semiquincentennial, was inspired by the Freedom Train, which was a touring train in the 1940s and ‘70s.
The original Freedom Train refers to two traveling exhibitions. The first ran from 1947 to 1949 after World War II. It carried the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The steam train traveled more than 37,000 miles across all 48 contiguous states.
It was revived to celebrate the country’s bicentennial from 1975-1976. It carried documents from the National Archives, including the original Louisiana Purchase Treaty.
The restored steam trains traveled to different regions of the nation and carried more than 500 items, including George Washington’s copy of the Constitution and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s pulpit and robes.
For the nation’s 250th birthday this July Fourth, events are happening across the country and in Washington. The Great American State Fair will take place on the National Mall and culminate in performances and a fireworks show. America250 is calling on Americans to participate in the country’s largest service effort this year in their own communities to ensure that the founding principles of the United States can carry on for another 250 years.
