VINTAGE COMICS
The Freedom Train
Freedom is fought hard and won. In a novel concept, America ran the Freedom Train from 1947 through 1949 to remind its citizens not to take their freedom, as enshrined in the principles of liberty and democracy, for granted. Two years after the Second World War ended, Attorney General Tom C. Clark mooted the idea of the Freedom Train so that Americans did not forget the sacrifices made by the country and its people during successive wars. The idea was approved by President Harry S. Truman.
Christened the Spirit of 1776 on September 5, 1947, the Freedom Train travelled over 37,000 miles through more than 300 cities in 48 states for 413 days, capturing the imagination of Americans wherever it went, as did the distinctive red, white, and blue colour scheme of the locomotive.
What was significant about the train was that it carried the original versions of the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Truman Doctrine, and the Bill of Rights among other rare documents and artefacts.
The bicentenary of the Freedom Train was celebrated in 1975-1976 when a similar locomotive called the American Freedom Train toured the country.
The historic journey was captured in popular culture including comics which, admittedly, first caught my attention. Until then, I didn't know about the Freedom Train, a fascinating piece of America's history.
The Freedom Train
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| Freedom Train by Howard Lockhart Fogg, an American artist who specialised in railroad artwork. |
Freedom is fought hard and won. In a novel concept, America ran the Freedom Train from 1947 through 1949 to remind its citizens not to take their freedom, as enshrined in the principles of liberty and democracy, for granted. Two years after the Second World War ended, Attorney General Tom C. Clark mooted the idea of the Freedom Train so that Americans did not forget the sacrifices made by the country and its people during successive wars. The idea was approved by President Harry S. Truman.
Christened the Spirit of 1776 on September 5, 1947, the Freedom Train travelled over 37,000 miles through more than 300 cities in 48 states for 413 days, capturing the imagination of Americans wherever it went, as did the distinctive red, white, and blue colour scheme of the locomotive.
What was significant about the train was that it carried the original versions of the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Truman Doctrine, and the Bill of Rights among other rare documents and artefacts.
The bicentenary of the Freedom Train was celebrated in 1975-1976 when a similar locomotive called the American Freedom Train toured the country.
The historic journey was captured in popular culture including comics which, admittedly, first caught my attention. Until then, I didn't know about the Freedom Train, a fascinating piece of America's history.
Definitely evokes a sense of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteCharles, archives throws up some amazing stuff sometimes.
DeletePrashant, I saw this earlier and thought I had commented. A very interesting post, a part of US history I was not aware of. I especially love the Blondie and Mickey Mouse comics. And I love that the Blondie comic is still around to this day and not changed a whole lot.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tracy. I enjoy putting such posts together. I find world arts and cultures fascinating and there is so much to read that one doesn't know where to start. Yes, those comics are still around I'm glad that many Indian newspapers still run BLONDIE on their comics pages. I have always been more partial to Donald Duck than Mickey Mouse.
DeleteDonald was always my favorite too. Along with Scrooge McDuck and Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
DeleteTracy, I enjoyed watching Chip 'N Dale get the better of Donald Duck in almost every comic book I read back then. In contrast, I found Mickey Mouse boring and the only time he was funny was when Goofy was around.
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