For the first time in U.S. history, several of America’s founding documents are taking to the skies, touring the country aboard their own dedicated jet to commemorate the nation’s beginnings—and Seattle will be their final destination.
“Inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train, the Freedom Plane National Tour will make documents fundamental to America’s founding accessible to Americans across the country,” the Freedom Plane National Tour website reads.
The rare collection includes an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence (one of only about 50 known copies of the original Declaration), the Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, and the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the American Revolution. The original National Archives records featured in the exhibition are traveling together for the first time.
Dubbed the “Freedom Plane,” the aircraft departed Monday from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for its first stop in Kansas City. Over the course of the tour, the historic documents will visit eight cities nationwide before landing in Seattle for their final appearance at the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). Seattle-area visitors will have the opportunity to see the documents in person from Thursday, July 30 through Sunday, August 16, an experience that the museum describes as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Pacific Northwest to experience these original records before they return to the National Archives vaults.”
The Freedom Plane itself is a Boeing 737-7BC built in 2000 and owned by Boeing, which is partnering with the National Archives to bring the tour to cities across the country. The airborne exhibit is a modern tribute to the Freedom Train, which carried America’s founding documents around the nation during the 1976 bicentennial celebration.
The temporary exhibit at MOHAI will be free for the public to view. See more details about the upcoming exhibit on the museum website.