A slew of documents from the founding of the United States will be flown into Denver to celebrate 250 years of the country's independence.
Starting in March and running through August, the Freedom Plane National Tour, organized by the National Archives and Records Administration, will be charting its course around the country.
The Denver show, at History Colorado from May 9 to June 14, will be one of eight exhibits nationwide.
The show will include:
- An engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed from a copperplate of the original in 1823.
- The Articles of Association from 1774, which delegates of the First Continental Congress signed urging colonists to boycott British goods.
- Oaths of allegiance to the Continental Army signed by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
- The 1783 Treaty of Paris between the U.S. and Great Britain that acknowledged the United States was a nation.
- A secretly printed draft of the Constitution.
- A tally of votes for the Constitution.
“Freedom Plane offers a tangible opportunity to reflect on what it means to be American,” wrote Dawn DiPrince, head of History Colorado and the state historic preservation officer, in a statement. “These documents embody the revolutionary idea that we are a nation bound together by shared ideals.”
The show has been organized by the America 250 - Colorado 150 Commission, the group celebrating both the state’s sesquicentennial and the country’s semiquincentennial.
Tickets will go on sale soon. For more information, visit History Colorado online.
