The Freedom Train's Journey Across America

Between 1947 and 1949, the Freedom Train covered 37,160 miles and visited 48 states across the United States. It was a traveling exhibition of the great documents of American history. They were displayed to more than 3.5 million visitors across 326 cities and towns.

The Freedom Train

Lead by President Truman, the Freedom Train was "A campaign to sell America to Americans" during a time when the freedoms which this country were founded on were threatened by the Cold War, and a time when people were afraid that their freedom would be lost to the nuclear age and Soviet expansion. Truman hoped this campaign would enable Americans to rediscover their freedom. It was also aimed at making reconciliations with the sacrifices and human costs of war, by giving meaning and worth to those sacrifices.

Display of the Constitution

The train was pained red, white, and blue. Its seven cars were loaded with some of the most important documents and objects of American history. Among them were the Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address, a letter from Christopher Columbus, George Washington's original copy of the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. People waited for up to six hours to look at these with their own eyes.

Visitors

The Freedom Train proved to be more than just a symbol. When the city of Birmingham revealed that they planed for separate times for whites and blacks to visit the train, the operating organization of the train refused to stop at the city, demonstrating the importance of equal freedom for all. The Freedom Train showed American citizens how hard-earned their freedom was, and ensured them that the same freedom would be upheld in the future.


Sources:
http://www.freedomtrain.org/freedom-train-story-08-principles.htm
http://mashable.com/2015/07/04/usa-freedom-train/