What to know
Video length: 1:06
- To commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, a select collection of founding-era documents are touring the country as part of the Freedom Plane National Tour. Organized by the National Archives Foundation, the tour brings these historic records to nine cities, giving the public an opportunity to engage with key documents from the nation's founding.
- The documents include:
- An original engraving of the Declaration of Independence
- Articles of Association, declaring a boycott against British goods
- Oaths of Allegiance, pledging loyalty to the new republic, not the king
- Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War
- David Brearley’s secret printing of the Constitution
- State delegation votes approving the Constitution
- Senate markup of the Bill of Rights
Why it matters
These founding-era documents are traveling beyond Washington, D.C., for the first time, giving Americans across the country a rare opportunity to see them firsthand. By making these historic records more accessible, the Freedom Plane National Tour invites visitors to explore the nation's founding principles and reflect on their enduring significance.
Discussion questions
- Which of the founding documents on tour do you think has had the greatest impact on the United States? Why?
- What questions would you ask a historian or archivist about one of the documents on display?
Additional resources
Try America's 100 Docs, an activity from the National Archives Foundation that lets you vote on your favorite primary source document from U.S. history!
Produced by Jackalyn Karamanougian, PBS News Hour Classroom's intern, and News Hour's Victoria Pasquantonio
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