George Washington Documents Tour America
Original documents signed by George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin began a cross-country journey as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration. The historic initiative allows Americans nationwide to view foundational documents up close, deepening public connection to the country's revolutionary heritage. This traveling exhibition represents one of the largest efforts to make original founding documents accessible beyond Washington D.C.
The tour, officially named the "Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation," is a project of the National Archives and Records Administration in partnership with the National Archives Foundation. Corporate sponsors including The Boeing Company, Comcast, Microsoft, and P&G are helping to fund the initiative. This eight-city journey is inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train that toured the country in 1975-76. For the 2026 tour, the historic documents are being transported in a specially designated Boeing 737, dubbed the "Freedom Plane." Among the items on display are the 1774 Articles of Association, which organized a boycott of British goods, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War. Visitors can also see the Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr in 1778. The collection also features a rare draft of the U.S. Constitution with handwritten notes from the delegates and an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence. This copy is one of only about 50 known to exist, created from a copperplate commissioned by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. For many of these documents, it is the first time they have traveled outside of their secure vaults in Washington, D.C., in decades. The tour is designed to give people across the country who may not be able to visit the National Archives a chance to see them. The tour began in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 6, 2026. Subsequent stops are scheduled for Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Miami, Dearborn, and Seattle, concluding in August 2026. Admission to view the documents at each museum is free.
