Courtesy of the National Archives Foundation
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In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, officials are taking a cache of historical U.S. records on tour for the first time in history. As part of “The Freedom Plane”, Founding-era documents will visit 8 cities across the country, including a visit in Houston this May.
“The Freedom Plane National Tour” launches March 6 in Kansas, Missouri. Over the course of the next six months, the tour will make stops in 8 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Miami, Dearborn, and Seattle.
“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 Jim Byron, Senior Official at the National Archives Serving with the Authority of the Archivist of the United States, in a press release.
“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.”
Courtesy of the National Archives Foundation
The “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” will go on exhibition in Houston at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from May 8 to May 25, 2026. During this time, entry to the exhibition is completely free.
Featured historical documents to be on display include:
Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr, 1778
Treaty of Paris, 1783
William Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence, 1823
Articles of Association, 1774
David Brearley’s Secret Printing of the Constitution, 1787
State Delegation Votes Approving the Constitution, 1787
U.S. Senate Markup of the Bill of Rights, 1789
“Hopefully, the Freedom Plane National Tour inspires our fellow Americans to champion our nation’s founding ideals into the future”, said Byron.
To learn more about the exhibition and significance of the historical documents, hit the link here.