Freedom Train

Not to be confused with The Freedom Train (graffiti), Leica Freedom Train, Freedom Rides, or Freedom Train (Czechoslovakia).

Two national Freedom Trains have toured the United States: the 1947–1949 special exhibit Freedom Train and the 1975–76 American Freedom Train, which celebrated the United States Bicentennial. Each train had its own special red, white, and blue paint scheme and its own itinerary and route across the 48 contiguous states, stopping to visit and displaying Americana and related historical artifacts. The Freedom Train will be running again in 2026 to commemorate the United States Semiquincentennial.

The 1940s Freedom Train exhibit was integrated—black and white viewers were allowed to mingle freely. When town officials in Birmingham, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee, refused to allow blacks and whites to see the exhibits at the same time, the Freedom Train skipped the planned visits. Public critique followed the train as integration remained an issue in other stops.

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