Historical documents start journey across US for nation's 250th anniversary

Source: ABC News/AP

March 2, 2026, 8:30 AM


Some of the United States' most important historical documents are beginning a first-of-its kind journey Monday as part of the country's 250th anniversary commemoration.

Typically housed in highly controlled vaults under the watch of preservation experts at the National Archives, documents such as the 1783 Treaty of Paris that formally ended the Revolutionary War and the 1774 Articles of Association that urged colonists to boycott British goods are rarely moved.

But those documents, signed by George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and other American revolutionary leaders, will be making their way across the country and put on display for free at local museums. “It's tangible history, and tangible history inspires,” said Jim Byron, senior adviser to the acting archivist of the United States. “These documents have not traveled, and they’ve certainly not traveled collectively, ever. They are here in vaults.”

The Boeing 737 “Freedom Plane” transporting the documents is just one of many events and activities planned across the country to mark America's upcoming 250th anniversary celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A congressionally chartered commission, America 250, and a separate White House-led initiative, called Freedom 250, are both coordinating events, an overlap that has faced some criticism in Washington.

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