The “Freedom Plane” departed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday, marking the official start of a yearlong national tour carrying original Founding-era documents to cities across the country. The Boeing 737, provided for the tour by The Boeing Company, took off en route to Kansas City, Missouri, the first of eight stops scheduled for 2026 as part of the National Archives and Records Administration’s observance of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The traveling exhibition, titled “Documents That Forged a Nation,” will open Friday at the National World War I Museum and Memorial and run through March 22 before continuing to additional cities. Among the items on board are the Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr; a Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence; the Treaty of Paris; a draft printing of the U.S. Constitution; and the U.S. Senate markup of the Bill of Rights. The tour is organized in partnership with the National Archives Foundation.
The Freedom Plane National Tour is cleared for takeoff as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary!
The Freedom Plane National Tour is headed to eight cities across the country through August 16, 2026. pic.twitter.com/YUwKhyhCvH— U.S. National Archives (@USNatArchives) March 2, 2026
At a send-off event prior to departure, Jim Byron, senior official serving with the authority of the archivist of the United States, said the tour is intended to broaden public access to the documents.
“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,” Byron said.
Chief of Protocol of the United States Ambassador Monica Crowley said at the event, “It really is the best gift that we can give younger generations of Americans to have that sense of America. The National Archives has accomplished this to the absolute fullest, finding new and exciting ways to invite all Americans to journey through our exceptional nation’s exceptional past.”
Following Kansas City, the exhibition is scheduled to visit Atlanta; Los Angeles; Houston; Denver; Miami; Dearborn, Michigan; and Seattle. Admission at each stop is free.
