What’s a Freedom Plane?

In the government’s growing penchant for giving events names that have little relation to what they actually are, our Museum of Natural History announced the arrival of The National Archive’s “Freedom Plane Tour,” a display in honor of the 250th anniversary of  the United States of America. The invitation to the opening of the exhibit had me wondering where they’d be parking a Boeing 737 in the museum’s urban setting.

Silly me, to think there was a plane in the exhibit.

The plane never left the airport. Only its precious contents are on display in a very small, darkened space at the museum. We joined the long line of folks slowly snaking into and through the closet-sized, curtained enclosure, surrounded by security. Only a dozen or so gawkers at a time were granted a brief view of some of the most important original documents that forged our nation.

At first, I was disappointed that only a few items were there. But as I took my turn before each one, I was transfixed. I began to imagine what it must have been like for those who struggled to produce them, and the compromises and sacrifices that had to be reckoned with in order to forge a new nation, founded on radical principals of liberty and freedom, at least as they were perceived 250 years ago.

I imagined what fortitude and courage it took to reach enough consensus to have laid it out on a page for all posterity. I wished I was allowed more time to read the difficult script and each signature, and especially, to ponder those last minute, hand-written edits on what became the final drafts.

It was definitely a messy business, and it’s not difficult to understand why we’re still debating many of the particulars today.

Which may be why, at the outset, the founders must have known how important it was to insert the word “more” between “a” and “perfect union.” They understood that, hard as we humans may try, achieving perfection is only a pipe dream.

And yet, bless our little hearts, we still try.

Every citizen learns at least an elementary version of how life was back then. But many of the details, as evidenced in the few documents displayed here, were new to me. More than any history book or TV documentary I’ve ever come across, these few items on display brought the struggle to life.

In adding their names to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, these colonial representatives still had to unite and then muster the wherewithal to engage in a long, costly war. A  peace treaty with Britain was not signed until 1783.

But that’s not all.

They still had to figure out how to form a unified nation among the independent colonies, each of which had varying economic and social needs and philosophies.That task took well over a decade to accomplish.

The final draft of the U.S. Constitution was not ratified until 1783, and at the actual signing, representatives from only eleven the thirteen new states were present.

Fast forward to current times

As I walked out of the exhibit, the day was dreary. So was my mood. I mourned the spirit of so those who stood up for their lofty principles and fought battle after battle, both intellectually and physically, to create a country that has been, for almost all of its 250 years, the envy of the world.

It’s difficult these days to remain positive about the future of our country, what with the seemingly constant turmoil within and outside of our borders. While it’s tempting to believe that, since we’ve always been able to pull ourselves away from the brink of collapse, things will always work themselves out. But great civilizations before us have thrived and withered. Let us not be complacent.

I’ve included photos of every document in the exhibit; the pictures aren’t great, but given the crowd, the lighting, the height of the display, and the short time allowed, t’was the best I could do. Like our country, much is still a work in progress.

If you want to experience the exhibit in person, the official itinerary is here: Freedom Plane. 

Read more about this award-winning author at GayYellen.com.