LOS ANGELES — Rare documents tied to the founding of the United States are now on display in Los Angeles, offering a limited chance to see artifacts that are rarely taken outside Washington.
The exhibition, “National Archives Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents that Forged a Nation,” is open at the USC Fisher Museum of Art from April 17 through May 3. The stop is part of an eight-city tour marking the country’s 250th anniversary.
What You Need To Know
Nine founding-era U.S. documents are on display at USC for 16 days
The exhibit is part of a nationwide tour marking America’s 250th anniversary
The documents rarely leave Washington but are expected to travel to eight cities
The exhibit is free to the public with advance tickets
On display are nine founding-era documents, including an early draft of the Constitution, a tally of votes approving it, and an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence bearing the distinctive John Hancock signature. The collection also includes the Treaty of Paris and early agreements that helped shape the nation’s formation.
“It’s a glimpse of what’s normally on display in Washington,” said National Archives Foundation CEO Patrick Madden, who noted the agency spent years preparing the traveling exhibit with the aim of showing American history in places that are far from the 13 original colonies.
“[These documents] have never seen this side of the country,” he added. “I think about Benjamin Franklin, what he would think about these documents traveling on a plane, to a place that he had never seen.”
During the U.S. bicentennial in 1976, a similar collection traveled by train. This time, the materials are being transported by plane to cities across the country.
The responsibility of protecting the documents upon arrival in Los Angeles has also been part of the experience. USC ROTC cadet Elle Barker helped safeguard the materials as they arrived.
Standing near the documents, Barker described “a bit of awe,” thinking about the importance of the words behind the Constitution.
As she prepares to join the Armed Forces this summer, Barker said service members swear loyalty to the Constitution, trusting in “that code, that ethic of what it means to be American.”
The exhibit is free to the public with advance tickets.