In less than a month, we kick off our Spirit of Independence Festival 🇺🇸 In our tent spanning Constitution Avenue in front of the @usnatarchives museum, you can come to a variety of FREE events—all in celebration of #America250! Learn more and get your free timed tickets online using the 🔗 in our bio 🎪🎆
What does it take to prepare centuries-old records for a cross-country journey aboard the #ArchivesFreedomPlane? It's #PreservationMonth, and we're taking a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation and preservation efforts that safeguard our nation's Founding-era documents.
The Freedom Plane is in Houston, where the Documents That Forged a Nation are currently on display at @hmns now through May 25. Learn more at freedomplane.org ✈️
#OnThisDay 248 years ago, George Washington made history by signing the Oath of Allegiance to the United States. This moment symbolized Washington’s commitment to “the United States of America, to be Free, Independent and Sovereign States, and declare that the people thereof owe no allegiance or obedience to George the Third, King of Great Britain.”
Want to see this piece of history up close? As part of the Freedom Plane National Tour, this Founding-era document is traveling the country in partnership with the @archivesfdn and crewed by @boeing . Catch #ArchivesFreedomPlane at @hmns now through May 25, 2026, and visit freedomplane.org to discover where the exhibit is headed next. ✈️
#America250 #NationalArchives @Freedom250
We the People… 🇺🇸
Witness the work of our founding fathers as we celebrate 250 years as a nation. This limited-time engagement is FREE for all to see at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation
🗓️ Now – May 25
This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition is free and open to everyone, but we’re expecting big crowds. We highly recommend securing your tickets in advance.
Here’s how:
• Members can reserve a time slot ahead of time
• General Public tickets will be first-come, first-served at the HMNS Box Office
🗣️ Heads up: Wait times may be long, and tickets may sell out on the day of your visit.
Call 713-639-4629 or email [email protected] for more details.
——
The Freedom Plane National Tour is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation, through the generous support of
The Boeing Company, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft, and P&G. Additional support is provided by FedEx.
Local support is provided by
Lead Underwriter
Sarofim Foundation
Major Corporate Underwriter
Coca-Cola
#ArchivesFreedomPlane #HMNS #Museum #Exhibit @usnatarchives@archivesfdn
On May 8, 1945, the Allies of World War II celebrated the news of the formal surrender of Nazi Germany in what is now known as Victory in Europe Day or VE Day.
At the National Archives, we are committed to safeguarding VE Day records to ensure future generations understand the significance of this historic day. Explore our vast holdings, including military service records, films, family histories/genealogies, finding aids, maps, photos, sound recordings, and teaching resources.
#VEDay #WWII #OnThisDay
Here's how you can get your tickets to the National Archives Museum! Celebrate #America250 with us at the National Archives, the home to the Declaration of Independence! Tickets are now available from now through September 30- including for the Fourth of July. All visitors are welcome, but we encourage visitors to reserve either a free general admission ticket or a $1 timed-entry ticket online in advance.
Learn more and reserve tickets at visit.archives.gov/visit/tickets!
@archivesfdn@freedom250 #ArchivesJuly4
How many historic moments can you check off these #ArchivesFreedomPlane bingo cards?
The Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation is on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science THIS FRIDAY, May 8 through May 25, 2026. @hmns
Visit freedomplane.org to learn more. @archivesfdn@boeing
Our newest exhibit is now on display!
On July 4, 1776, just hours after adopting the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress tasked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams with creating a national seal. As members of the First Great Seal Committee, each man proposed designs for a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation. The task proved difficult, and ultimately it took more than three committees and six years to complete the final design for the Great Seal of the United States.
Discover the Great Seal of the United States at the National Archives Museum.
Learn more and get your tickets at visit.archives.gov.
“Making of the Nation – America at 250 – is an extraordinary initiative combining technology and storytelling that invites every American, and every person on the planet, to explore the genius of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other historic documents that have been the foundation of American Freedom for 250 years.” –White House Domestic Policy Council director and leader of the White House Task Force 250 Vince Haley
May is here, and the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, is especially beautiful this time of year. ☀️
Have you visited us lately? As the home of the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, we also invite you to experience our new exhibits and document displays in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Plan your visit today at visit.archives.gov.
@visitwashingtondc@Freedom250 #America250
American jazz composer James Reese Europe played a leading role in introducing jazz music to the U.S. military as a first lieutenant and band leader in the all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment, “Harlem Hellfighters,” during World War I.
The National Archives Catalog contains more than 80 digitized photographs of James Reese Europe and the 369th Infantry Regiment Band.
#InternationalJazzDay 🎶#MilitaryHistory #NationalArchives @usarmy@officialnyng
