Original documents from the nation’s founding will travel to Missouri this spring as part of a nationwide tour marking America’s 250th anniversary.
The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation, announced the “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation,” a traveling exhibition that will bring rare founding-era records to eight cities between March and August 2026. Kansas City will serve as the tour’s first stop.
From March 6 through March 22, the documents will be displayed at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The exhibition will be free and open to the public, with tickets available through the museum.
The tour is inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train of the 1970s and is designed to make foundational American documents accessible beyond Washington, D.C., during the country’s semiquincentennial celebration.
Missouri’s Local Sponsor: Show Me 250
Serving as the local sponsor for the Kansas City stop is America 250 Missouri Commission, branded as Show Me 250. The commission was created to plan, promote and implement public celebrations and commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Show Me 250’s work is centered on three primary initiatives:
- Educate – Youth-focused programming, particularly for school-age children, with emphasis on the “Charters of Freedom”: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
- Engage – Community-driven events and patriotic activities encouraging participation across Missouri.
- Celebrate – Public commemorations tied to July 4, the Battle of Fort San Carlos, and broader events of the American Revolution.
Organizers say the Freedom Plane exhibition aligns closely with those goals, particularly its focus on bringing the nation’s founding documents directly to communities outside Washington, D.C.
Traveling by “Freedom Plane”
For the first time, the original records included in the exhibition will travel together across the country. They will be transported between cities aboard a specially branded Boeing 737 dubbed the “Freedom Plane.” Boeing is providing the aircraft and operational support for the tour.
“Americans across the country can bear witness to the people and principles that shaped our nation through the Freedom Plane National Tour,” said Jim Byron, senior advisor to the Archivist of the United States, during a January 20 press briefing announcing the initiative.
The tour is supported in part by the National Archives Foundation with funding from The Boeing Company, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble.
What Missourians Will See
The exhibition includes several rare and historically significant records:
- An 1823 engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence, commissioned by John Quincy Adams and produced by engraver William J. Stone. Only about 50 copies are known to exist.
- The Articles of Association (1774), signed by 53 delegates to the Continental Congress, calling for a boycott of British goods.
- Oaths of Allegiance (1778) signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr during the Revolutionary War.
- The Treaty of Paris (1783), signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, formally recognizing U.S. independence.
- A rare draft printing of the Constitution (1787) containing handwritten notes from the Constitutional Convention.
- The official tally of votes approving the Constitution (1787) from the Constitutional Convention.
The documents are part of the National Archives’ holdings, which include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Many of the items rarely leave archival custody, and officials say this marks the first time this collection will travel together.
Missouri Kicks Off the Tour
Kansas City’s selection as the opening stop places Missouri at the center of the national commemoration’s early events. The National WWI Museum and Memorial, America’s leading institution dedicated to the First World War, will host the exhibit before it moves on to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Miami, Dearborn and Seattle.
Organizers say the goal is to ensure Americans outside the nation’s capital have the opportunity to view original documents that shaped the country’s founding.
“The Freedom Plane National Tour underscores that the rich history of our nation belongs to all of us, not just those Americans living in or visiting Washington, DC,” said Rodney E. Slater, chair and president of the National Archives Foundation Board of Directors.
Following its Kansas City stop, the exhibition will continue its cross-country journey through mid-August.
Additional details, including ticketing information, are available through the National WWI Museum and Memorial and the National Archives.
Jake Kroesen is a Jackson County native and a graduate of the University of Central Missouri. He holds a B.S. in Political Science.
