America's Founding Documents Tour Nation
Major historical documents signed by George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin have begun a cross-country journey as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration. The tour aims to bring foundational artifacts to communities nationwide in the lead-up to 2026's big celebration. Fort Pitt Museum has also unveiled a new "Pittsburgh's Revolution" exhibition exploring the region's Revolutionary War role.
The tour's featured 1823 Declaration of Independence is not the original, but a rare engraving by William J. Stone. Commissioned by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to preserve the fading original, Stone's work is now the most recognizable image of the document. Fewer than three dozen of the 201 parchment copies he originally printed are known to survive. Long before declaring independence, 53 delegates of the First Continental Congress signed the 1774 Articles of Association. This precursor to the Declaration established a unified trade boycott against British goods in response to the "Intolerable Acts," marking the colonies' first major act of collective resistance. The Oaths of Allegiance, signed by Continental Army officers like George Washington at Valley Forge in 1778, were a crucial test of loyalty. The resolution by the Continental Congress required officers to renounce allegiance to King George III and swear to defend the independent United States, a powerful and personal commitment during a trying winter. Formally ending the Revolutionary War, the 1783 Treaty of Paris was more than a peace agreement. Its key provisions included Great Britain's recognition of the United States as a free and sovereign nation, the establishment of the nation's boundaries from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, and fishing rights off Newfoundland. The tour also includes a rare draft of the U.S. Constitution, complete with handwritten notes from the delegates, offering a glimpse into the debates and compromises during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. This secret printing and an accompanying tally of votes reveal the iterative process that shaped the nation's foundational law. This "Freedom Plane" tour is inspired by the 1975-76 American Freedom Train, which celebrated the nation's bicentennial. The 26-car train toured all 48 contiguous states over 21 months, allowing more than 7 million Americans to view a diverse collection of artifacts, from George Washington's copy of the Constitution to a rock from the moon. The cross-country document tour is a central part of "America 250," a multi-year commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary. Other planned events include a Great American State Fair on the National Mall, a fleet of mobile museums, and the installation of a congressional time capsule on July 4, 2026.
