Rare Historic US Documents Tour Nation on ‘Freedom Plane’ Ahead of 250th Anniversary

Some of the most significant documents that helped shape the United States are temporarily leaving Washington, D.C., as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. This unique opportunity allows many Americans to see these historical treasures up close in their own communities.

The “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation,” organized by The National Archives, is bringing founding-era records out of the nation’s capital and into various cities across the country. The tour kicked off at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, where visitors can explore a specially prepared exhibit room featuring several historic documents.

The historical records are traveling on what organizers call the Freedom Plane, a specially marked aircraft designed for the tour. This initiative aims to bring American history to people who may not have had the chance to visit the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Boeing pilot Joe Seymour, who helped fly the Freedom Plane, described the mission as deeply meaningful. “These are the founding fathers of the United States, and there’s a great pride that comes with that. To say it’s a privilege or an honor would really be an understatement,” he said.

Jesse Kratzer, a historian with the National Archives, explained that many of the records rarely leave the archives building, offering the public an unusual opportunity to view them closer to home. Among the documents featured in the exhibit are the Articles of Association from 1774; George Washington’s oath of allegiance from 1778; oaths of allegiance signed by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1778; the Treaty of Paris from 1783; a tally of votes approving the Constitution from 1787; a secret printing of the Constitution in draft form from 1787; and an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence.

Kratzer emphasized that some of the documents allow visitors to see the founders’ handwriting up close. “When I touch this piece of paper, I’m touching the same piece of paper that Alexander Hamilton touched,” Kratzer said. “He signed it Alex Hamilton.”

The documents are displayed under carefully controlled conditions in a dimly lit room designed to protect the centuries-old paper. “We have them wrapped in mylar and then they are also encapsulated with plexiglass,” Kratzer explained. “So basically they’re in their own microclimates.”

The exhibit tells the story of the nation’s founding, tracing the events that led to the creation of the United States government. “This exhibit itself is really a history of the American Revolution, the creation of our government and then the creation of the Bill of Rights within one small space,” Kratzer said.

Museum leaders say the exhibit brings together pieces of American history that many people have only read about in textbooks. “These fundamental documents record all those happenings as our forebears sought to define who we were and who we wanted to be as Americans,” said Matthew Naylor, president and CEO of the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

Kansas City was chosen as the starting point for the national tour, a decision Naylor said highlights the importance of bringing the exhibit to communities beyond the East Coast. “Why not for them to be in the heartland, in the Midwest as the beginning of this tour,” Naylor said.

The exhibit will remain in Kansas City through March 22 before the tour moves to Atlanta and other cities across the country. It will end in Seattle in August. A full schedule of tour stops and dates is available on the National Archives website.