Matthew Spalding at the Freedom Truck Mobile Museum Debut in North Carolina last month.
Courtesy | Austin Thomason
A “Freedom Truck” will come to Hillsdale in April as a part of its national tour, bringing the history of America’s founding to campus during Centralhallapalooza weekend.
The Freedom Trucks are a fleet of six mobile museums inside semitrucks. Created by Freedom 250 and with the help of Hillsdale’s Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington operations and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, the curriculum inside the trucks seeks to educate people of all ages.
Hillsdale will be one of the main stops for Michigan, according to Spalding. The Freedom 250 website currently lists the April 23-26 Hillsdale stop as the only destination in the state.
“Hillsdale will be one of the key stops for southern Michigan and northern Ohio,” Spalding said. “The trucks will be scheduled to stop places where local schools, the local community, as many people as possible can go through the museum.”
President Donald Trump instituted the Salute to America 250 Task Force last year to create a year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Its purpose is to invite Americans “to have a renewed love of American history, experience the beauty of our country, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will raise our nation to new heights over the next 250 years,” according to the White House website.
This mission for the trucks aligns with Hillsdale’s mission to educate America, according to Vice President of Marketing Jonathan Hall. He also said the college has big plans for the truck’s visit to campus.
“We are hoping this is a moment for the entire college and local community to come together in celebration of our 250th year as a free country,” Hall said. “What a great opportunity for our country to see how Hillsdale is grateful for all its blessings by celebrating and bringing the history of America to life in a museum truck, and, hopefully, many more ways to teach our youth and community how truly blessed we all are. We hope to see the entire community learn from the Freedom 250 truck that will be stopping by for a few days.”
Inspired by the 1976 “freedom train” that traveled across the country educating about American history, the Freedom Trucks will provide the same education but with greater accessibility, according to Spalding.
“It’s a mobile museum, so you can go through the truck and you learn the American story,” Spalding said. “It’s designed for the public, generally, but especially for K-12 students, and for everyone to learn about the history of America’s beginning in a way that is inspiring, interactive, fun, and true.”
As a senior academic advisor working with the White House task force, Spalding developed the educational content inside the trucks.
Junior Ava Jolley is leading the student side of campus involvement with the trucks. She is coordinating a live Liberty Walk of students dressed as the Founding Fathers to bring the history of America’s founding to life.
“The weekend before finals is typically jam-packed with fun things to do to take a break from studying,” Jolley said. “But this event offers a way to take a break, engage with the community, friends, and the history of our country. And what could be more Hillsdale than that?”
Hall said that the incorporation of the live Liberty Walk and other events, still in the planning stages, will help create memories for the community outside of the college campus.
“I am personally hoping to see real-life George Washingtons and Abe Lincolns walking around,” Hall said. “How cool would that be for the young kids from all the different elementary schools. They will remember this 4th of July-like celebration in April 2026 for the rest of their lives. We still hear stories like this from those who got to celebrate in 1976 when America turned 200.”
