Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged A Nation– MOHAI

This year 2026 is the United States’ 250th anniversary. A good way to celebrate and honor this achievement is to visit the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged A Nation. Nine documents from the early founding of the United States arrived for their first stop in Seattle at MOHAI – Museum of History and Industry in South Lake Union. These documents are on loan from various departments of the National Archives as well as one personal collection. According to the program, these documents are usually in vaults and not on public display, so this is a rare opportunity to see them. Documents on view include:

·      William Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence, 1823

·      Articles of Association, 1774

·      George Washington’s, Alexander Hamilton’s and Aaron Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance, 1778

·      Treaty of Paris, 1783

·      David Brearley’s Secret Printing of the Constitution, 1787

·      State Delegation Votes Approving Constitution, 1787

·      Senate Markup of the Bill of Rights, 1789

The documents are traveling to eight US cities on a Boeing 737 in commemorative “Freedom Plane” livery, hence the name.

There’s not a lot of filler in the exhibit. The documents are split into three cases, with a timeline and a short description of the purpose and importance of the document. I’ve been to the archives in Washington DC, but it is always exciting to look at items so pivotal to our nation’s founding. That recognizable signature of John Hancock, George Washington and others. My favorites were documents I don’t think I’ve ever seen before: Washignton’s, Hamilton’s and Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance and the Treaty of Paris, signed by John Adams, Ben Franklin and John Jay with its red wax seals.

Access to the exhibition is via special ticket and timed entry. MOHAI staff did a good job of throttling access so it wasn’t too crowded and people kept moving. Parking in South Lake Union can be challenging, so I arrived a bit early to make sure I was on time. Once in the museum, you wait outside the exhibit room at your designated entry time. Once in line, it was about a ten-minute wait to get in. Once inside, I spent about 20 minutes viewing all the documents.

Documents can be a little dry, but I highly recommend seeing these amazing documents if you can. There’s just a sense of gravitas and importance that settles over you as you look at them.  You can visit the exhibit at MOHAI through August 16.