Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta History Center
In honor of America’s 250th birthday this year, the National Archives has created a traveling exhibition of some of the nation’s most significant founding documents. The Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation makes its first stop on an eight-city tour beginning this weekend at the Atlanta History Center.
Admission to the Atlanta History Center will be free while the documents are on display from March 27 through April 12. This presents a rare opportunity to see a number of founding-era documents on display together.
“The tour includes nine vault-level documents from the founding era that we’re sharing with the public,” says Patrick Madden, CEO of the National Archives Foundation. “They start from before the government was formed and go through the Bill of Rights.”
Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta History Center
The centerpiece of the display is an 1823 exact replica of Declaration of Independence, printed on the same paper and with the same ink as the original. “It’s the first time the United States of America is ever used as a phrase,” Madden says. Other documents include oath of allegiance cards signed by George Washington and his troops at Valley Forge, the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War, and an early draft of the U.S. Constitution with notes written down the sides.
“These are the foundational documents of our country,” says Sheffield Hale, president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center. “You can learn so much by seeing how the documents were changed and marked up as debates occurred and compromises were made. It helps you better understand the pressure the founders were under and how the documents evolved.”
Photograph courtesy of the Atlanta History Center
While admission to the Atlanta History Center is free while the documents are on display, admission tickets must be reserved in advance due to high volume. You can make your reservation here.
