“Celebrate your country by seeing your country.”
With that message to Americans, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy kicked off a new national campaign Friday at Union Station in Washington, D.C.—one designed to remind Americans that the freedom to move has always been at the heart of the American story.
As the nation celebrate its 250th birthday this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled “Freedom Moves You,” a sweeping initiative tied to the nationwide Freedom 250 celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“Now more than ever, our nation needs to unite around the shared principles our founding fathers enshrined in 1776. America’s 250th birthday is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring people together, cherish our national heritage, and inspire the next generation of patriots,” Duffy said. “From artwork that inspires a national conversation about civics to helping families hit the road this spring, this department is committed to keeping the flame of liberty and independence alive for another 250 years.”
The initiative aims to inspire Americans to rediscover their country—not just through textbooks, but by experiencing it firsthand.
Transportation at the Foundation of Our History
From dirt roads traveled by the Founding Fathers to the interstate highways that now spread across the continent, America’s modes of transportation have carried the nation forward for nearly two-and-a-half centuries.
“Freedom moves you. Whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles, we all move through transportation,” Duffy told hundreds of people gathered in Union Station’s Main Hall. “America’s story is a story of movement. From the earliest days of our republic, the ability to travel, trade, and explore helped define what freedom means in this country.”
Joining Duffy at Union Station were Ambassador Monica Crowley, chief of protocol of the United States; Bud Denker, president of Penske Corp.; Anna Bager, president and CEO of Out of Home Advertising Association of America; and Eliot Hamlisch, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Amtrak. They stood with other transportation leaders and partners helping bring the campaign to life.
“This campaign is freedom in motion,” Crowley said. “As Americans travel, it will remind us of our extraordinary, shared history and renew a sense of tremendous pride in our exceptional country during our big 250th birthday year.”
What Is Freedom Moves You?
Duffy credited The Heritage Foundation for its role in the campaign. Last year, Heritage began developing the creative concepts and ads that would eventually become the centerpiece of Department of Transportation initiative.
“I specifically want to give a shout out to The Heritage Foundation, who helped craft these images,” Duffy said. “They didn’t do this under contract. They didn’t ask for money. They said, ‘You know what? We want to help celebrate America’s birthday. We want to develop these images that are going to bring people’s minds back to civics.’”
Heritage is honored to have played a role in @SecDuffy’s @USDOT “Freedom Moves You” campaign celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Keep an eye out for these visuals in transportation stations and on buses, trains, and airplanes across the country between now and Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/JXxkRsGc5i
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) March 6, 2026
Heritage donated the work to the department, which will now display them across American’s vast transportation system.
The campaign will feature Freedom 250 branding across America’s airports, bus stops, train stations, and highways. Americans will see them on Amtrak, FlixBus routes, Brightline high-speed rail lines, and multiple airlines.
The goal is simple: meet Americans where they already are—on the move.
Speakers at Friday’s event said the campaign is about far more than tourism. It’s about reconnecting Americans with the various places where the nation’s story took root—cities, small towns, and highways that together form the backbone of the American experience.
The Campaign’s Goal
At a time when civic knowledge remains alarmingly low—recent surveys show only about 30% of Americans can correctly identify the three branches of government—supporters hope the campaign might also spark renewed curiosity about the nation’s history and founding principles.
“Transportation has always been about more than roads and bridges,” Duffy said. “It’s about connecting people to opportunity, to one another, and to the history that defines us.”
The campaign is part of a broader national effort coordinated by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which is organizing events across the country to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Federal agencies, state governments, private organizations, and local communities are expected to host events, festivals, and educational programs throughout 2026.
Love seeing the America 250 makeover at Union Station today!
Congrats to @SecDuffy and the @USDOT team for celebrating our country’s history in style at some of the biggest transportation hubs.
Made possible thanks to a generous gift from @Heritage. pic.twitter.com/PXGMV6e1lI
— Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) March 6, 2026
For the Department of Transportation, however, the message behind Freedom Moves You is ultimately a personal one.
America’s story, Duffy said, isn’t confined to museums or history books. It lives in the roads Americans drive, the railways that connect cities, and the landscapes that generations have traveled in pursuit of opportunity and liberty.
As the nation approaches this historic anniversary, the department hopes millions of Americans will take that message to heart—getting behind the wheel, boarding a train, or booking a flight to explore the country that has been in motion since 1776.
Because sometimes the best way to understand America is to travel through it.