The nation’s core documents are now on tour across the United States in honor of the country’s 250th birthday.
The National Archives launched the Freedom Plane National Tour this week, taking the Oaths of Allegiance, a stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, a draft of the U.S. Constitution, votes approving of the Constitution, and a Senate markup of the Bill of Rights across the country.
“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,” said Senior Official at the National Archives Serving with the Authority of the Archivist of the United States Jim Byron. “And 250 years on, we are charged with carrying on what they started, to ensure that this noble American experiment lives on, boldly and proudly.”
“To do that, we need to make sure that Americans know that they are the beneficial heirs to the concepts that the Founding Fathers wrote into history in these very documents,” Byron added. “Hopefully, the Freedom Plane National Tour inspires our fellow Americans to champion our nation’s founding ideals into the future.”
Monica Crowley, Chief of Protocol of the United States Ambassador, said the tour is the “best gift that we can give younger generations of Americans to have that sense of America.” She said the “National Archives has accomplished this to the absolute fullest, finding new and exciting ways to invite all Americans to journey through our exceptional nation’s exceptional past.”
The Freedom Plane, a Boeing 373, was inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train. Cities with the exhibit include Kansas City, Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida; Dearborn, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington.
