Overview
- The Freedom Plane, which landed Monday at Van Nuys Airport, received a water cannon salute and a ceremonial welcome before the documents were secured for transit to USC.
- The exhibition opens at the USC Fisher Museum of Art from April 17 to May 3 with free timed tickets, and USC is the tour’s only university host.
- Visitors will see items such as the 1774 Articles of Association, 1778 Oaths of Allegiance signed by figures like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, a rare 1823 Declaration of Independence engraving, the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and early records tied to the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
- The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the National Archives Foundation are running the eight-city tour on a Boeing 737 after earlier stops in Missouri and Georgia, with Texas, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, and Seattle up next.
- Organizers say the traveling show marks America’s 250th anniversary by letting people view original records up close, a model inspired by the 1975–76 Bicentennial Freedom Train.