Ten documents from the nation’s founding era are leaving their home at the National Archives in D.C. and hitting the skies for America’s 250th birthday this summer.
Reflecting on the “Bicentennial Freedom Train,” eight American cities will receive the “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” exhibit.
“These documents are either precursors to the declaration and reflect mounting frustration with British rule, or they document the declaration’s immediate result, how subjects of King George III became citizens of the United States and formed a new nation,” said Jim Byron, senior adviser to the acting archivist of the United States.
From March through August, the tour will go through the following cities:
- Kansas City, Missouri, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial from March 6-22
- Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta History Center from March 27 to April 12
- Los Angeles, California, at the University of Southern California Fisher Museum of Art from April 17 to May 3
- Houston, Texas, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from May 8-25
- Denver, Colorado, at the History Colorado Center from May 28 to June 14
- Miami, Florida, at the HistoryMiami Museum from June 20 to July 5
- Dearborn, Michigan, at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation from July 9-26
- Seattle, Washington, at the Museum of History & Industry from July 30 to Aug. 16
A special Boeing 737 will carry these pieces of history.
Some of the documents that will be on display include a copy of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War. It is signed by John Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin
“I always think of the Declaration of Independence as like the breakup letter,” said Jessie Kratz, a historian with the National Archives. “But this is the final divorce papers that acknowledged the United States as a country and also gave the borders so we could actually expand westward. So this was the first time that Britain actually recognized our independence.”
The oaths of allegiance by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr will also be a part of the display.
“The Continental Congress decided that they needed to have all army officers sign oaths of allegiance to the United States,” Kratz said. “They sent all these preprinted forms to Valley Forge to have George Washington get all the officers to sign.”
Other documents going on tour include a secret printing of the Constitution in draft form and an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence.
“The Freedom Plane National Tour underscores that the rich history of our nation belongs to all of us, not just those Americans living in or visiting Washington, D.C.,” said Rodney Slater, chair and president of the National Archives Foundation Board of Directors.
The exhibition will be free at all eight venues.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
