National Constitution Center

A National Center for constitutional education - the National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to teaching about the Constitution. Its serves as america's leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter "to disseminate information about the u.s. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis in order to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the american people." (continued on schedule o) located on philadelphia's historic independence mall, just steps from where the Constitution was drafted and signed, the Center brings the Constitution to life for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year through interactive exhibits, rare documents and artifacts, moving theater programs, and educational activities. The Center's online interactive Constitution, the centerpiece of its educational efforts, unites scholars from across the legal and philosophical spectrum to explore areas of agreement and disagreement on the history, text, and meaning of nearly every provision of the Constitution. With professional development opportunities, educational videos, constitutional lesson plans, a full semester-long nonpartisan course and standards-aligned curriculum, and live online classes featuring special guest scholars from diverse perspectives, the Center has become america's leading nonpartisan platform for constitutional education and civil dialogue. The interactive Constitution and Constitution 101 course have transformed the way teachers bring the Constitution into their classrooms - and allow classrooms from across the country to connect for real-time civil dialogue. With an increasing reliance among learners on free online tools, the interactive Constitution has made the National Constitution Center's website consistently among the most visited individual museum websites in the country.as a forum for debate, the Center brings together a diverse array of renowned historians, leading scholars, public officials, and journalists to discuss the Constitution on all media platforms, hosting in-person and virtual events, live classes, and weekly podcasts.the National Constitution Center is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, private organization under the dynamic leadership of esteemed constitutional scholar jeffrey rosen. Support from generous individuals, corporations, and foundations make possible the Center's efforts to increase civic education and elevate civil dialogue.museum of we the people - through interactive exhibits, rare documents, priceless artifacts, and moving theatrical performances, learners from around the world visit the National Constitution Center to immerse themselves in the extraordinary story of "we the people," be inspired by the development of our founding documents, and explore the history woven into our own namesake document. The story of we the people, the Center's main exhibit, is an immersive educational experience, filled with hands-on, multimedia exhibits and activities. Historical documents, photos, and film help visitors build an understanding of america's past and see how the Constitution shapes the present. In the iconic signers' hall, visitors step into the final day of the constitutional convention-september 17, 1787-and sign the u.s. Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the founding fathers. In rare document galleries, which opened in 2014 and 2017, visitors explore up close the rarest and most inspiring documents from our nation's founding.live theatrical productions provide visitors with a greater connection to the content. Freedom rising, a 17-minute state-of-the-art multimedia live theatrical performance, immerses visitors in the powerful story of the Constitution and the american quest for freedom, while other programs bring to life the constitutional issues in the headlines as well as first-person narratives from figures throughout history.through the addition of two new exhibits in 2019 and 2020, visitors explore important stories surrounding key constitutional amendments that transformed rights in america. In may 2019, the National Constitution Center opened the new permanent exhibit, civil war and reconstruction: the battle for freedom and equality, which explores how constitutional clashes over slavery set the stage for the civil war and how the nation transformed the Constitution after the war to more fully embrace the declaration of independence's promise of liberty and equality. To commemorate the centennial anniversary of voting rights for women, and as part of its women and the Constitution initiative, the Center opened the 19th amendment: how women won the vote in august 2020, the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the amendment. In january 2022, the National Constitution Center completed installation of a 50-ton marble tablet, engraved with the 45 words of the first amendment to the u.s. Constitution. The first amendment tablet spans a 100-foot-wide wall on the Center's grand hall overlook, the second-floor atrium overlooking historic independence mall. The iconic tablet was previously displayed on the four-story-high, 74-foot-tall Pennsylvania avenue facade of the newseum in Washington, d.c.in addition to these core experiences, the Center has presented original feature exhibits, collaborative installations, and traveling projects from other institutions, attracting visitors from around the world. Large-scale original and collaborative exhibits have included headed to the white house (2008, 2016), speaking out for equality: the Constitution, gay rights, and the supreme court (2015), and american spirits: the rise and fall of prohibition (2012, 2017). Recent smaller exhibits have included hamilton: the constitutional clashes that shaped a nation (2018-2019), and john marshall: patriot, statesman, chief justice (2017). Over the years, the Center has also hosted rental exhibits produced by world-class institutions.the Center also recently launched additional ways to engage with its exhibits from home: live tours of its core exhibits featuring museum educators, special programming on civic holidays, as well as self-exploration virtual tours are available through its website, google arts and culture, and a partnership with microsoft bringing tours into classrooms across the country.

The National Constitution Center's teacher advisory council supports the Center by sharing best practices for teaching constitutional and civic topics-looking at the intersection of u.s. history and current events-and advises the Center on programs and resources that would best support classroom instruction on constitutional fundamentals. Teachers on the advisory council are active and engaged educational professionals who advocate on behalf the National Constitution Center with outreach for programs. (continued on schedule o)the National Constitution Center provides additional support for educators nationwide by traveling to state and regional conferences throughout the school year. The education team has traveled across the country, attending conferences such as the National council for the social studies (ncss), the association of middle level education (amle), and association for supervision and curriculum development (ascd), as well as regional council for the social studies programs, such as the Texas council for the social studies (txcss), the Florida council for the social studies (fcss), and more. Sessions at these events have focused on topics such as civil dialogue, storytelling, the 14th amendment, and the Constitution 101 curriculum. In the community - in 2006, the National Constitution Center partnered with the school district of philadelphia and the annenberg foundation to undertake a bold educational experiment: the opening of Constitution high school (chs), a public school with a focus on u.s. history and democracy. Since that time, the Center has worked closely with the students and teachers of chs to provide curricular materials, instruction, and programming for the school. Among its many initiatives with chs, the Center runs a four-phase workshop series to help students participating in National history day to develop critical questions about their topics, and to hone their strategies for researching and executing their projects. Most recently, chs students participated in the development and execution of our policing in a more perfect union program-an interactive new training module designed for police officers which emphasizes the bill of rights, police legitimacy and community engagement. The National Constitution Center hosts the annual citywide National history day competition for philadelphia. Each year, thousands of middle and high school students and teachers across the united states participate in National history day, a yearlong educational program that culminates in a National contest every june. Students compete in a local contest, the winners move on to a state competition, and those winners move on to the National competition in Washington, d.c. Along the way, every participant gains first-hand experience conducting historical research and producing a documentary, exhibit, essay, performance, or website.policing in a more perfect union was created in 2015 in partnership with philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey and the philadelphia police department. The program is designed to give police recruits and officers a historical understanding of the rights and restrictions that are defined in the u.s. Constitution. The program also examines the history of policing in a democratic society, and provides a forum for officers and recruits to discuss the importance of their role in protecting the rights of all citizens with local high school students. The students from Constitution high school have been critical to the success of the program.america's town hall - at a time when america is increasingly polarized, the Center provides a crucial and unique role in bringing thought leaders, students, and citizens of different perspectives together to learn about and debate the meaning of the u.s. Constitution. Under the leadership of president and ceo jeffrey rosen, the Center has become the leading forum for vigorous civil dialogue at our live america's town hall programs and debates in philadelphia and across america. Through live events, video, blog posts, and our we the people with jeffrey rosen and live at the National Constitution Center podcasts-which have been downloaded more than 2 million times in the past two years-the Center provides balanced debate on timely constitutional issues.the Center has welcomed numerous notable guests to talk about issues at the heart of american life. In the past year, america's town hall hosted in-person and virtual events with a diverse set of speakers including best-selling authors, public officials, journalists, historians, and other thought leaders. Topics have included elections, speech, and political disinformation; how america's early justices shaped the supreme court; and equality in america.in addition to on-site and virtual programs, the Center has presented traveling programs in cities across the country, engaging new audiences with timely constitutional conversations. Most recently, these included a celebration of the 100th anniversary of supreme court clerkships and related academic symposium with the george Washington law review, a conversation on criminal justice reform and the Constitution at the u.s. capitol, a panel on free speech and social media at stanford law, and an evening with u.s. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg featuring a special performance of rbg in song. The Center regularly engages experts for more in-depth exploration of constitutional issues. The Constitution drafting project brings together three teams of leading constitutional scholars-team conservative, team libertarian, and team progressive-to draft and present their ideal constitutions. This summer, our teams convened for a virtual constitutional convention to draft and propose a series of amendments to the Constitution. Upon deliberation and debate, they were able to come up with five proposed amendments, which include granting veto abilities to congress, changing the impeachment process, and imposing term limits for supreme court justices. In 2021, the Center commissioned another set of scholar teams-conservative, libertarian, and progressive-to write three sets of reports identifying potential reforms that could preserve the institutional guardrails on which democracy depends. These guardrails of democracy reports were presented at a public event in july 2022, following a year-long series of public panel debates and seminars, during which leading thinkers from diverse perspectives, identified the structural, constitutional, and educational reforms necessary to promote deliberation and allow the constitutional process to function in a way that advances the common good.through its two podcasts, we the people, a weekly show of constitutional debate, and live at the National Constitution Center, audio from our live programs at the Center and around the country, the Center's podcasts engage listeners in balanced, timely debate about the Constitution, and feature some of the best legal minds discussing nuanced constitutional issues throughout history and in today's headlines. Constitution daily, the Center's blog, covers news stories and reflects on important dates in history. Its stories are often picked up by major National outlets, and are an essential resource for the general public, journalists, and educators in breaking down the constitutional news of the day.the Center also reaches millions around the world with its active social media channels, sharing original multimedia content, engaging programming, and news from the institution.in 2022, the National Constitution Center implemented a total redesign of its website to highlight these valuable programs and information. With all of these resources tagged according to relevant constitutional text, users are able to browse all of the Center's content easily, making accessible the best voices on all sides of current and historical constitutional questions and giving learners of all ages the ability to connect relevant constitutional issues with the history, text, and meaning of every provision of the Constitution.

Headquarters for civic education - to engage learners of all ages, in classrooms and homes across the nation, the National Constitution Center has developed a robust set of programs and resources to deliver constitutional content. Based on the acclaimed interactive Constitution, the Center produces a variety of standards-based teaching materials for use in the classroom and at the museum, and hosts educator workshops, trainings, and other professional development offerings to promote constitutional literacy skills through civil dialogue. (continued on schedule o)the Center produces a variety of engaging, interactive programs and demonstrations that best take advantage of the exhibits to create a museum-wide experience. Programming includes daily offerings such as the constitutional game board, presidential trivia, the civil war artifact cart, and special town hall-style programs aimed at a student audience, including judge chats with judges from the u.s. court of appeals for the third circuit. They also include special themed tours for student and adult groups, as well as designated scout days, where scouts from boy scouts bsa and girl scouts work toward earning american history of government-themed merit badges. The Center also honors National civic holidays with special programs and activities to draw attention to the history and significance of these dates, such as martin luther king jr. day, presidents day, veterans day, independence day, juneteenth, and Constitution day. Several of these family-friendly civic holidays are presented with free or discounted admission through the generosity of sponsors. Beginning in 2019, the Center began offering the constitutional ambassadors program that brings students from around the country to the Center for an immersive experience in constitutional education. The constitutional ambassadors experience begins in the classroom before the students arrive; continues with an educational experience at the Center, including live theater and a live scholar chat; and follows students back to their classrooms, where they can connect with other classrooms across america for crucial conversations on current constitutional issues.the young citizens scholarship program provides eligible student/youth groups with free or reduced admission and transportation to the National Constitution Center. The program is made possible by the generous support of individual, foundation, and corporate donors to promote civic education.outside of museum-specific offerings, the Center reaches millions of learners online, expanding reach and impact to students nationwide through its digital resources centered on the interactive Constitution. The interactive Constitution - in september 2015, the National Constitution Center launched the online interactive Constitution, which unites leading conservative, libertarian, and progressive constitutional scholars in america to write essays exploring areas of agreement and disagreement on every clause in the Constitution. Since its launch, the interactive Constitution has been visited by more than 68 million users, and it now serves as america's leading platform for nonpartisan constitutional education.in september 2019, the Center launched the interactive Constitution: classroom edition. The classroom edition includes a robust media library with educational videos, constitutional lesson plans, civil dialogue toolkits, and other multimedia teaching resources including podcasts and blog posts.founders' library - the founders' library includes 170+ primary texts that span american constitutional history-from the philosophical works that influenced the founding generation to the most important speeches, essays, books, pamphlets, petitions, letters, court cases, landmark statutes, and state constitutions that have shaped the american constitutional tradition. To ensure nonpartisan rigor and ideological diversity, we assembled a group of leading scholars from diverse perspectives to help choose the nearly 170 historical texts and 50 landmark supreme court cases in the document library. Launched in august 2022, the document library also includes foundational sources curated by the National Constitution Center team.constitution 101in august 2022, the National Constitution Center released Constitution 101, a free, nonpartisan online curriculum on the u.s. Constitution. Constitution 101 is a 15-week curriculum for high school students, as well as a standalone self-guided course for learners of all ages, that explores the basic principles of american freedom and the core constitutional texts of american history, from the founding to today. Constitution 101 is modeled on the National Constitution Center's proven framework for rigorous, nonpartisan constitutional education and the practice of civil dialogue. Grounded in the reading of primary sources, students use documents from the aforementioned founders' librarylive classes - with teaching and learning moving remote beginning in march 2020, the Center expanded its offerings through the scholar exchanges, and has continued with live weekly classes throughout the 2021-22 academic year. Part lecture and part lively conversation, these free 30-minute sessions, available through zoom and youtube, are open to the public so that students, teachers, and parents can join in a constitutional discussion with Center scholars, and special guests. With three sessions a week - introductory, advanced, and an all-levels session - the live classes engage students from around the country and provide educators a resource that works for synchronous or asynchronous teaching in the classroom or remotely.topics range from voting rights to federalism to congress to elections, and through these live classes, students are able to engage in content that provides foundational knowledge while also connecting them with experts to ask questions about issues in the news. With private versions for individual classes, or peer-to-peer offerings that pair classrooms from around the country, cultivating the exchanges encourage civil dialogue and debate, increasing knowledge of the Constitution, cultivating the habits of civil dialogue, and helping to ensure the civic knowledge that the american framers considered essential to preserving the future of the american republic.professional development - the Center's professional development opportunities enable educators to deepen their understanding of u.s. history, the Constitution, and innovative strategies for classroom instruction. For full or half-day workshops, the Center's education staff, often with guest scholars, present grade-level-appropriate sessions about the Center's educational materials and programs. In addition, teachers receive classroom-ready resources and learn how to instill in their students the habits of healthy civil dialogue. Workshops are offered at the Center and in classrooms throughout the philadelphia region and beyond.the National Constitution Center offers a series of five saturday teacher seminars on select saturdays throughout the school year. The seminars are open to philadelphia classroom teachers currently working with grades 5, 8, 10, or 11. The full-day programs include exhibit tours, modeled classroom activities, and training in civil dialogue techniques, totaling four reportable hours of professional development. These programs are free for attendees.during weeklong summer teacher institutes, this year hosted virtually, 40 educators come from across the country to work with content experts to deepen their knowledge of the history and modern understandings of major constitutional topics and themes. With master teachers and the education teams from the Center and partner organizations, participants discover and develop innovative, nonpartisan ways to make the content relevant to their students. The institutes capitalize on the Center's wealth of historical, constitutional, and cultural resources to demonstrate the ways the Constitution has defined and continue to define america. Educators leave with new content knowledge, teaching tools, classroom-ready resources, and new skills for improving constitutional literacy.the National Constitution Center's teacher advisory board is responsible for supporting the Center's education team in development and evaluation of the materials on the interactive Constitution: classroom edition, as well as presenting content created to support students using the National Constitution Center's free, online interactive Constitution. The board currently includes educators from traditional-public, charter, parochial, and independent high schools and middle schools across the united states with approximately 250 years of combined teaching experience. One-third work in title i schools, and over half teach advanced placement classes.