America's Founding Documents on Exhibit

The William Stone engraving of the
Declaration of Independence.

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Photos by Gerry Barker

The National Archives’ “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation,” celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, officially came to Miami this week at the downtown HistoryMiami Museum.

Not only was Miami just one of eight cities chosen to host the exhibit, but also the city that will display the Founding documents on the nation's July 4th birthday.

“Hosting the Freedom Plane National Tour is both an honor and a responsibility,” said Natalia Crujeiras, President & CEO of HistoryMiami Museum in a press release. “These documents belong to all Americans. Presenting them in Miami, a global city shaped by democratic ideals and extraordinary diversity, creates a powerful space for reflection on our nation’s origins and its ongoing promise. We are excited to give the community an opportunity to experience  and reflect on the people who laid the foundations for this great country.”   

Original National Archives records featured in the exhibition include: 

• The William Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence. Commissioned in 1820 by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, less than 50 of the original 200 copies survive.
• The Articles of Association -- an economic boycott drafted by the First Continental Congress in 1774 to pressure the British government into repealing the Intolerable Acts.
• Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr  
• The Treaty of Paris, the agreement that ended the Revolutionary War.
• A draft printing of the Constitution  
• State delegation votes 

The exhibit will be at the HistoryMiami Museum through July 5, traveling next to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and concluding in Seattle at the Museum of History and Industry. Previous stops were in Kansas City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston  and Denver. 

At the media preview Jesse Kratz, National Archives Historian, told me the Freedom Plane tour was inspired by the original Freedom Train in 1947 and later, the American Freedom Train that celebrated the country's Bicentennial in 1976. Because of the fragile nature of the documents, "they won't be shown again for 10 more years," she said.

"Everything is temperature and humidity-controlled," Ms. Kratz said. "We keep the lights very low, because light harms documents." While visitors are free to take photographs, no flash photography is allowed. Along those lines, she praised the professionalism at the HistoryMiami Museum, saying "they've been great."

Advances in technology mean the National Archives can exhibit more documents in the future. "One of our most fragile, precious documents that we don't show very often is the Emancipation Proclamation," said Ms. Kratz. "We recently bought a case that will allow us to show it on a more regular basis."

Also celebrating the nation's 250th birthday is Brightline, with its 10-coach Freedom Express Train, wrapped in key historic moments from American history. The HistoryMiami Museum has partnered with Brightline to offer a discounted admission of $10 for GOVX members on June 30, while GOVX members can book Brightline train #5319 on June 30 at 40 percent off for travel to see the exhibit.

For more information, visit the HistoryMiami museum website.

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Photos From the Freedom Plane Exhibit