The University of Southern California will open its doors to a rare traveling exhibition put together by the National Archives, starting April 17.
The exhibit has brought some of the Nation’s most important founding documents to USC’s Fischer Museum of Art. The exhibit, called “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation,” is part of a larger national tour, and will run through until May 3.
“We want people from around the country to experience our original documents,” said Jessie Kratz, a historian for the National Archives.“Instead of coming to Washington, we’re bringing the National Archives to the people around the country.”
USC is one of eight stops commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, with the tour emphasizing the principles of democracy. It is also the only stop on the West Coast — and the only university — to host the collection, according to a release by the university.
“To be able to host the most important documents that take America from resistance to independence and to share it with our campus and our community … [we’re] just thrilled to be able to offer that opportunity,” said Bethany Montagano, the full-time director of USC Museums, which includes the Pacific Asia Museum.
Documents set to be displayed include the Oaths of Allegiance signed by Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and George Washington and the Declaration of Independence.
The Constitution, the original Bill of Rights and the Treaty of Paris, signed by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, will also be available at the exhibit, along with the Articles Association.
Kratz said that the university was selected as a venue due to its security capabilities and size, which was needed to handle a large crowd.
“The selection of USC and Los Angeles as a site, which are obviously major markets on the West Coast, was special,” said Patrick Madden, CEO of the National Archives Foundation. “One of our goals is to share these documents with people who don’t have ready access to the East Coast; there’s a lot of 250th activities on the East Coast.”
Patrick Madden (left) and Jessie Kratz (right) stand in front of the official signage for the Freedom Plane National Tour. (Photo by Diya Sadhu)
According to Montagano, the National Archives, two USC Viterbi graduate students and the museum leaders collaborated to train an “AI curator” for the exhibit called Cleo. It’s the first time USC has collaborated on an AI project with the federal government.
Montagano also emphasized that more than just history fans should care about this one-in-a-lifetime exhibition. She said that each document holds historical significance.
“Using the knowledge of the conservators, the tour guides and the curators, we trained it.,” Montagano said. “You just have to hover, you don’t even have to download an app, and then you can swipe through the documents.”
In an interview last week, President Beong-Soo Kim told Annenberg Media the USC exhibit was expected to attract upwards of 20,000 people
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will also take place on campus April 18 to 19, with Kim saying he hoped visitors would attend both.
When asked how prospective visitors should prepare before coming to the exhibit, Kratz emphasized that flash photography was not permitted at the venue, nor were food and drinks. Otherwise, she said people should just come with a thirst for knowledge in history.
“Come enjoy the documents and learn,” Kratz said. “You’re going to hopefully be inspired to learn more about the documents once you leave.”
Madden said that on the first two stops of the tour, which took place in Kansas City and Atlanta, large crowds waited outside the tour’s official openings. In the case of the former, visitors waited three hours in line before entering the venue.
“Obviously we have a lot more in common than we have different, and the documents hopefully bring people together that way,” Madden said.
Madden said that contemporary division was imbued in the founding of the United States 250 years ago — leading to the economic and political issues which are still relevant today.
“Our job at the National Archives is to keep the documents alive for the next 250 years and it is the job of the citizens to participate in that democracy.” Madden said.