USC Fisher Museum welcomes the National Archives’ Freedom Plane National Tour

Against a background of billowing white clouds and blue sky Monday, USC celebrated the arrival of a very special Boeing 737 at Van Nuys Airport. USC is the third stop on the “National Archives’ Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation,” an eight-city traveling exhibition that brings some of America’s most significant founding-era documents to communities around the country in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The USC Fisher Museum of Art on the University Park Campus will display these historic documents, including: the Articles of Association (1774); the Oaths of Allegiance (1778); a William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence (1823); the Treaty of Paris (1783); David Brearley’s secret printing of the Constitution (1787); state delegation votes approving the Constitution (1787); and a Senate markup of the Bill of Rights (1789).

“To be a part of history and make these treasures more accessible to all people is a tremendous privilege and responsibility,” USC President Beong-Soo Kim said as he stood in front of the Freedom Plane addressing an audience of Los Angeles media and VIPs assembled inside a hangar at Van Nuys Airport. “It goes straight to our mission as a university, and the very reason why we exist.”

A uniquely Trojan welcome

The USC community welcomed the national tour in a way only the Trojan Family could, beginning with a rousing performance from the USC Trojan Marching Band as the 737 landed in the background, taxied through a traditional water cannon salute and came to a stop in front of the hangar. The program kicked off with a presentation of the U.S. and California flags from the USC Color Guard and a moving rendition of the national anthem by student Celia Porter of the USC Thornton School of Music.

In addition to Kim’s remarks, the audience heard from National Archives Foundation CEO Patrick Madden, as well as Bill McSherry, vice president of state advocacy and global engagement for the Boeing Co. An honor guard of USC U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force ROTC students and USC Department of Public Safety officers transferred crates containing the historic documents from the plane to a van for their transportation to the USC Fisher Museum.

After thanking the crowd and USC for “this epic welcome,” Madden officially announced the arrival of the founding documents to the West Coast — “and the sunny beaches that the founders couldn’t even imagine.”

These documents, Madden said, “have stood the test of time, and have become a living democracy that has evolved, endured and defines us today in our unyielding pursuit of a more perfect union.”

“We are thrilled to be playing an important role to safely transport the documents around the country,” McSherry said in his remarks. He also pointed out that Boeing’s role in the project is fitting, given Boeing’s long history not only to aviation in the United States, but in Southern California’s aerospace industry — “from Bill Boeing to Rosie the Riveter.”

Bringing national treasures to the L.A. community

Founded in 1939 as a free public art museum and still functioning as such in its original location, the USC Fisher Museum is the oldest art museum in the city of L.A.

Hosting the nationwide tour is in line with Kim’s presidential priority of community impact. Drawing on USC’s reputation as a hub for civic engagement, the tour brings irreplaceable pieces of U.S. history to the communities surrounding the university’s campuses.

“These documents may have arrived to us on the wings of an aircraft, but it’s important to remember that, throughout history, democracy and freedom have managed to spread across the globe on the power of these ideas alone,” Kim said. “We know that we are only caretakers of these documents for a short while, [but] like all great universities, we are constant stewards of the principles that they enshrine.”

An irreplaceable experience

This tour represents the first time these historic documents have left the national capital. Inspired by the original Freedom Trains, the Freedom Plane National Tour is “designed to reconnect Americans with the nation’s founding ideals by bringing original historical artifacts across the country,” according to the Freedom Plane’s official website. The first Freedom Train — which ran from 1947 to 1949 — carried the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights more than 37,000 miles across the states and was viewed by over 3 million visitors. The second such train toured the country between 1975 and 1976 to celebrate the Bicentennial.

Madden noted that USC is the only university that will be hosting the exhibition. “Seeing these original documents firsthand will invite meaningful reflection, ignite a civic spark for the next generation to carry the founding ideals forward and write the following chapters of the American story,” he said.

Bethany Montagano, director of USC Museums, said the USC Fisher Museum is prepared to receive some 20,000 visitors to the exhibit. “It is just so special to see these documents in person,” she said. “They show a free and democratic process” as the founders debated what a government should look like “when people have the power,” she added.

“Having spent time teaching constitutional law, I am personally looking forward to seeing how this exhibit will spark conversation at USC and in our community,” Kim said.

The Freedom Plane National Tour is being brought to the public by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the National Archives Foundation. The exhibition featuring these documents will be at the USC Fisher Museum and open to the public from April 17-May 3 (closed Mondays). The exhibition is free, with an advance, timed ticket, Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.