$5 After 5 p.m.

Kasich signs bill to repeal election law

House voting on violence bill, draws veto threat

House GOP’s Domestic Violence Act decried

Legislators ready to wrap special session

Quietly, the Republican Party is embracing gays

American Laws for American Courts Wins Major Bipartisan Victory in Kansas Legislature;  Kansas Bill

OPINION: ‘Everybody’s doing it’ doesn’t make it right

Former Russian finance minister’s group attacks planned curbs on public activism

EDITORIAL: Cowardly move: Subverting majority rule to deny civil rights

House OKs GOP’s anti-violence against women bill

Accused arsonist has history with Watertown police

JP hopeful pays fines; Menchaca had offenses dating to 1997

Shock Jock Wants Conviction Tossed

Oury Trying to Minimize His Sentence

Goodman judge: No parties, socializing while on house arrest; $7 million bond posted to get out of j

Sandusky renews effort to have charges thrown out

Kramer Levin Hosts Justice Oing in Honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Attorney investigating court reporter’s claims against judge

$5 After 5 p.m.

$5 After 5 p.m.

$5 After 5 p.m.

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day: Fourth of July Kick-Off Party

Flag Day

Flag Day

Winchester sentenced to 20 years for Lynden attempted robbery that killed son

Three local judgeships filled

Oklahoma court finds HB1970 abortion law unconstitutional

Pitt law school gets new dean

District court finds HB1970 violates rights of women ; The court says the the law “can serve no purp

$5 After 5 p.m.

Independence Day Celebration

Restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs stricken

Harriet Berger, 94, Drexel professor, activist

Legal challenges to marriage amendment possible, but experts expect little immediate success

‘I love being attorney general’

Horne: Contest finalists prove there’s hope for future

NCC Elects Former U.S. Ambassador David F. Girard-diCarlo to Board of Trustees

Joseph J. Ellis: First Family: Abigail and John Adams

Opponents vow to keep up fight after passage of constitutional amendment on marriage

Louis Pollak, federal judge, dies at 89

Honor the Men and Women Who Defended Our Freedom this Memorial Day Weekend

Never-Before-Seen Extended Version of Clarence Clemons Documentary

Election 2012 Experience

Memorial Day

Address America: Your Six-Word Stump Speech

Constitution Hall Pass: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Legacy of Service

Constitution Hall Pass: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Legacy of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saw himself as a servant of humanity, and he wanted his life to be remembered as a life of service to others. In this episode, we look at Dr. King’s legacy of service. We’ll explore how his use of nonviolence was not just a political tool, but a way to demonstrate service to others. Get ready to learn about some of the other activists who drew their inspiration from Dr. King. And we’ll even learn about ways that you can serve your community! Join us as we honor the memory of this great American by talking about service.

Lesson Plans

Breaking Barriers - Elementary School

Breaking Barriers - Middle School

Breaking Barriers - High School

Election 2012

Election 2012

Engage your students in the election excitement AT THE CENTER and IN THE CLASSROOM

4 NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS AT THE CENTER

• ELECTION HQ-NEW PROGRAM
  Is your first stop to get informed on the candidates, featuring news updates, campaign commercials, gumball polls and voter registration.
• ELECTION CENTRAL-NEW EXHIBIT
  New voting booth exhibit features interactive technology that matches you to the presidential candidate who shares your views on the issues
• THE HISTORY OF ELECTIONS-NEW ACTIVITIES
  Learn about past presidential elections through trivia games, political cartoons and one-of-a-kind artifacts
• ADDRESS AMERICA: YOUR SIX-WORD STUMP SPEECH-NEW INITIATIVE
  Step up to iPad stations in our main exhibition to share your elections priorities-in six words! In partnership with SMITH Magazine, home of the Six-Word Memoir® project. Join us online at addressamerica.constitutioncenter.org.

Coming August 24, the Center brings back its must-see exhibition Headed to the White House. Newly updated, this popular exhibition captures the excitement and pageantry of America’s election process and puts visitors in the center of the 2012 election.

Book your trip today! Call 215.409.6730 or email us at groupsales@constitutioncenter.org.

IN THE CLASSROOM

Constitution Hall Pass: The Presidency

Premiering for Constitution Day 2012

Webcast with live chat from September 10-23, 2012

Tune in to the next installment of the Center’s free, web-based video series and live web-chat that’s a hit with students and teachers. You won’t want to miss this truly engaging and interactive lesson for your classroom, hosted by the Center’s education staff and scholars. Visit Constitution Day or Hall Pass.

Address America: Your Six-Word Stump Speech

In the Address America lesson students will identify and analyze the elements of a stump speech by reading excerpts of 2000 – 2008 national elections, write their own six-word stump speeches, and add their stump speeches to the Address America website at addressamerica.constitutioncenter.org.

Headed to the White House Lessons

• Elementary
• Middle
• High School

Featured Evening Programs
Robert Draper: Inside the 112th Congress
May 14, 2012
Bestselling author Robert Draper provides a revealing, riveting portrait of the House of Representatives elected in the history-making 2010 midterm elections and the tumultuous legislative session that followed. The Washington Post’s Paul Kane moderates.
Click here for full event and ticketing information.

Art of the American Soldier: “Fracture Ward” Video

Art of the American Soldier: “Movies” Video

Art of the American Soldier: “Beach” Video

Art of the American Soldier: “Probing for Land Mines in Bosnia” Video

Planned Giving

Lincoln: The Constitution & the Civil War

New Exhibition: On My Honor - 100 Years of Girl Scouting

Art of the American Soldier: Post-visit Activity

New York Times Bestselling Author Robert Draper Takes You Inside the U.S. House of Representatives

Why the Constitution Still Matters: A Conversation with Time Managing Editor Richard Stengel

Webcam

Live Webcam

Live Webcam Video from Signers' Hall at the National Constitution Center

Constitution Daily Blog

LGBT Rights and the 2012 Election Take Center Stage at the NCC

9/11: A Nation Remembers Classroom Activity

The Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline

Bill of Rights Game

Seize the Vote

Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads

When “Every Day Is Election Day”: The Spirit of Compromise in America

Why the Constitution Still Matters: A Conversation with Richard Stengel

Buy Tickets

The Constitution

International

Girl Scout Day

Constitution Hall Pass: Dollars and Sense: Tax Day

National Constitution Center Invites Americans to Deliver a Six-Word Stump Speech

One Day University

One Day University

For tickets and more information click here or call 800.300.3438

Lectures

All programs begin at 10 a.m. at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia

                             FDR and the Path to World War II
Event Date:        April 21, 2012
Lecturer:             Richard Pious – Columbia University, Barnard College

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor; four days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Yet America’s involvement in World War II had been predetermined as early as May of 1940, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt circumvented an isolationist Congress by making a secret deal with Winston Churchill and the British.

                              Bruce Springsteen's American Vision
Date:                     May 5, 2012
Lecturer:              Louis Masur – Trinity College

In his lecture Bruce Springsteen's American Vision, Professor Louis Masur situates Springsteen’s music in a broader cultural context. Springsteen is part of a long tradition of American songwriters who have given thought to the meanings of America, and his music connects to some of the most fundamental issues in our culture: the place of faith in our lives, the nature of work, our sense of community, the dream of escape and the search for love. We will examine how Springsteen delivers on these themes both lyrically and musically, how his vision has shifted over time, and the role of rock ‘n’ roll as an agent of change. Louis Masur is the author of Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen's American Vision (2009) and has also written about Springsteen for Slate, Salon, Backstreets, and other publications.

                             George Gershwin and American Music
Event Date:        September 8, 2012
Lecturer:             Orin Grossman – Fairfield University

A high-school drop-out, George Gershwin wrote his first major hit song, “Swanee,” at the age of 19. At the age of 25, he composed his first and perhaps most popular concert piece, “Rhapsody in Blue.” Using this masterwork as a point of reference, this lecture will demonstrate just how Gershwin melded the classical and the contemporary. By examining the musical influences of this American music icon, we gain insight into the multicultural nature of American musical traditions and the genius of one of our greatest composers.

             
                            Ten Films That Changed America
Event Date:        October 6, 2012
Lecturer:             Marc Lapadula – Yale University

While most movies are mass-produced entertainment and escapism, there are some that have had a profound impact on culture.  Renowned Yale film professor Marc Lapadula will discuss and show clips from 10 films that truly made their mark: The Jazz Singer, The Graduate, Wild Bunch, Easy Rider, French Connection, The Exorcist, Jaws, Annie Hall, Fugitive, From a Chain Gang, and The China Syndrome. Whether intentionally or not, these films have brought social issues to light, affected laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and generally changed the course of American history through their impact on society.

                             What Almost Nobody Knows about the Presidency
Event Date:        November 17, 2012
Lecturer:             Akhil Amar – Yale University

Join Professor Akhil Amar for a fascinating perspective on the presidency. Did you know:
•    Even after a president has signed a bill into law or has had his veto overridden, he may sometimes properly refuse to enforce that law?
•    Presidents do not need to have been born in the United States?
•    For most of American history, presidents enforced the Constitution far more vigorously, and with far more important consequences, than did the Supreme Court?
•    Only three presidents in American history have been residents of small states when elected? 
•    President Obama won every state within a five-hour drive of Chicago, but lost two states only minutes further away?
Explore these and other topics with one of the nation’s foremost constitutional experts.
 

 

Religion

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Session 4: Religion

Media and Communications

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Session 3: Media and Communications

Civics and Social Entrepreneurs

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Session 5: Civics and Social Entrepreneurs

Ethics and Political Philosophy

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Session 2: Ethics and Political Philosophy

History

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Session 1: History

Public Town Hall

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Public Town Hall

Keynote Address

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Keynote Address

Public Session

 

Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America - Public Session

State of the Union Bingo 2012

Participant Bios

 

Carl Ackerman

is a founding faculty member of Philadelphia’s Constitution High School, a National Constitution Center partnership school, where he teaches courses on the Constitution, African American History, Law, and Economics. As a 2005 James Madison Fellow, Mr. Ackerman earned his master’s degree in Early American History at Temple University. He currently sponsors the Student Government and coaches Mock Trial.

William B. Allen

is Emeritus Professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of Political Science and Emeritus Dean, James Madison College, at Michigan State University. He was the 2008-2009 Visiting Senior Scholar in the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good at Villanova University. He also served previously on the National Council for the Humanities and as Chairman and Member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Among Dr. Allen’s many publications are Re-Thinking Uncle Tom: The Political Philosophy of H. B. Stowe (Lexington Books, 2009) and George Washington: America’s First Progressive (Peter Lang, Inc., 2008).

Richard R. Beeman

is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of History, has been a member of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania for 43 years. He is a historian of the American Revolutionary Era, and has written seven books and several dozen articles on aspects of America’s political and constitutional history in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His recent book, Plain Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution (Random House, 2009), was the winner of the George Washington Book Prize and the Literary Award of the Philadelphia Athenaeum. His newest book is The Penguin Guide to the United States (Penguin Press, 2010). Professor Beeman is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center and is Chair of the Constitution Center’s Core Exhibit Refresh Ad Hoc Committee.

Tony Blankley

is a TV pundit, nationally syndicated columnist, Executive Vice President of Edelman Public Relations worldwide, a New York Times best-selling author, former press secretary to Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Reagan speechwriter, and former California Deputy Attorney General. Blankley, a veteran political expert and news analyst, has appeared on many national programs, including Meet the Press, Face the Nation, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Nightline, CBS Evening News, ABC’s World News Tonight, Hannity and The McNeil/Lehrer News Hour.

Alan Brinkley

is the Allan Nevins Professor of History at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1991. He served as University Provost from 2003 to 2009 and as chair of the Department of History from 2000 to 2003. His published works include Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression (Vintage, 1982), which won the 1983 National Book Award; The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War (Vintage, 1995); Liberalism and Its Discontents (Harvard University Press, 1998); Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Oxford University Press, 2009); and The Publisher: Henry Luce and His American Century (Knopf, 2010). He received his A.B. from Princeton and his Ph.D. from Harvard. He lives in New York City..

Jeff Bundy

is the Community Relations Manager at WHYY and works to build stronger ties between the Philadelphia region’s leading public media provider and its constituents. He manages an award-winning team that is responsible for hosting more than 100 events for WHYY each year. His work includes the creation and management of such programs and events as the WHYY Young Journalists Summer Camp, the WHYY Y12K Road Race, the WHYY Speakers Series and more. Bundy also has executed large-scale events in support of filmmaker Ken Burns’ films The War, The National Parks, and Baseball: The Tenth Inning. Jeff is currently working to host a large scale event in support of Burns’ latest film, Prohibition.

Ken Burns

is one of the co-founders of Florentine Films and has been making films for more than 30 years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Burns has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. His films have won 12 Emmy Awards and two Oscar nominations, and in September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Mr. Burns was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. A three-part, six-hour history of Prohibition is set for PBS broadcast in 2011. Future projects already in the works include films on the Dust Bowl, the Roosevelts, the Vietnam War and the Central Park Jogger case. Burns graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Keli A. Carender

is widely credited as having held the nation’s first modern tea party protest on February 16, 2009, the day before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law. She is the founder and co-chair of the Seattle-area activist coalition, The Seattle Sons & Daughters of Liberty, and is the author of the blog, Redistributing Knowledge. Ms. Carender is the National Director of Outreach and Education for State Budget Solutions and Tea Party Sunshine, both projects of Sunshine Review, as well as a staff member of Tea Party Patriots. Much of her efforts now focus on legislative research, government transparency, and advocating for the Health Care Compact. Ms. Carender received a graduate diploma in Education at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.

Sam Chaltain

is a D.C.-based writer, educator and organizational change consultant. A periodic contributor to CNN and MSNBC, Chaltain is the author or co-author of five books, including The First Amendment in Schools (ASCD, 2003), First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights (Oxford University Press, 2006), American Schools: The Art of Creating a Democratic Learning Community (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009) and We Must Not Be Afraid to Be Free: Stories Of Free Expression in America (Oxford, 2011). Chaltain has a master’s degree in American Studies from the College of William & Mary and an M.B.A. from George Washington University, where he specialized in non-profit management and organizational theory. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Mona Charen

is a syndicated columnist and political analyst living in the Washington, D.C. area. Ms. Charen launched her syndicated column in 1987, and it has become one of the most widely read columns in the industry. She spent six years as a regular commentator on CNN’s “Capital Gang” and “Capital Gang Sunday.” She is the author of two bestsellers: Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First (Regnery, 2003), and Do-Gooders: How Liberals Harm Those They Claim to Help – and the Rest of Us (Sentinel, 2004). She received her undergraduate degree at Barnard College, Columbia University, with honors.

David Eisner

is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center. Eisner assumed leadership of the Center in 2009, following a five-year tenure as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the independent federal agency that oversees America’s national service programs, including AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps. Eisner was previously a senior executive at AOL Time Warner and America Online, Inc., where he established and directed the AOL Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to using the power of media and information technology to serve the public interest.

Ann Fisher

is the executive producer and host of “All Sides with Ann Fisher,” a weekday, public affairs and culture, radio talk show for WOSU in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Fisher’s radio career began in September 2009 after nearly 30 years in newspapers. She worked as a columnist, editor and editorial writer for the Columbus Dispatch; reporter and Ohio Statehouse bureau chief covering public affairs and politics for The (Toledo) Blade; and as a reporter for The Grand Rapids Press. Ms. Fisher is a graduate of the School of Journalism at Michigan State University.

W. Wilson Goode, Sr.

is a Senior Fellow at Public/Private Ventures and is Director and organizer of the Amachi Program, a national faith-based mentoring model for children of incarcerated parents. Rev. Dr. Goode has served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He was the first African American member, and later became Chairman, of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. He again broke racial barriers with his appointment as Managing Director for the City of Philadelphia. He would follow that as the City’s first African American Mayor, serving two terms. He subsequently spent seven years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education under the Clinton Administration. Rev. Dr. Goode has earned degrees from Morgan State University (B.A.), the University of Pennsylvania (M.A.), and Eastern Baptist [now Palmer] Theological Seminary (D.Min.), and holds 14 honorary doctorates.

Jeanne Halgren Kilde

is the Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Minnesota. She is a historian of religion in America, specializing in religious architecture and sacred space. Her books include When Church Became Theatre: The Transformation of Evangelical Architect and Worship in Nineteenth-Century America (Oxford, 2002) and Nature and Revelation: A History of Macalester College (University of Minnesota Press, 2010). She is co-founder and co-convener of the Space, Place and Religious Meaning Consultation of the American Academy of Religion and has been appointed to the board of the Minnesota Society of Architectural Historians. She received her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota.

Kathlenn Hall Jamieson

is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Director of its Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Political and Social Science and the International Communication Association, as well as the author or co-author of 15 books. Dr. Jamieson has won university-wide teaching awards at each of the three universities at which she has taught and national awards for four of her books. With Brooks Jackson, Jamieson founded Factcheck.org.

Lee Hamilton

is the Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University and is one of the nation’s foremost experts on Congress and representative democracy. Congressman Hamilton represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years, establishing himself as a leading figure on foreign policy, intelligence, and national security. He served as vice chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission. He co-chaired the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel that assessed the situation in Iraq. Currently, he is co-chairman of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. Among his published works are How Congress Works and Why You Should Care (Indiana University Press, 2004) and Strengthening Congress (Indiana University Press, 2009).

Tanya Hamilton

is the writer/director of Night Catches Us which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film won the Fipresci Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival for Best American film. Additionally, in 2010, Night Catches Us was named Best Screenplay by the African-American Film Critics Association and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the Best First Feature category. A Sundance Institute writing and directing fellow, Ms. Hamilton is also a recipient of the coveted Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Her short film The Killers was awarded best short at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival, as well as a DGA award for best female director. She is a graduate of Columbia University.

J. Michael Hogan

is Liberal Arts Research Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for Democratic Deliberation at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author, co-author, or editor of seven books and more than 50 articles, book chapters, and reviews on political campaigns and social movements, foreign policy debates, presidential rhetoric, and public opinion and polling. In 2008, he was elected a National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar, the association’s highest award for contributions to the discipline. With Cheryl Glenn, he is the founding co-editor of a book series at the Penn State University Press, Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation. Hogan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin, and he earned his Ph.D. from the same institution. Before moving to Penn State in 1997, he taught at Indiana University and the University of Virginia.

Lauren Hughes

is the Community Relations Coordinator for WHYY, the greater Philadelphia area’s public media organization, where she has worked for the past two and a half years in fundraising and event management, with a particular focus on e-marketing and social networking. Prior to WHYY, she worked in membership and visitor services for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in recruiting and employee relations for SMG. Ms. Hughes graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and Intellectual History from Bucknell University.

Caren Izzo

is an 8th grade Social Studies teacher at Haddonfield Middle School in Haddonfield, NJ. She has earned degrees from The College of the Holy Cross (B.A.) and Lesley University (M.Ed). She began teaching in 1997 as a Teach For America Corps member in Newark, NJ. After completing her two-year commitment, she moved to the Philadelphia region. In addition to teaching an 8th grade course in Civics and Democracy, she also helps facilitate a Peer Leadership Program for 8th grade students, and is the director of the middle school Drama Club. Over the past three summers she has participated in the Annenberg Summer Teacher Institutes and the National Endowment for the Humanities summer workshops for teachers.

Stephanie Jasky

is the Founder and Director of FedUpUSA.org, a non-partisan activist group promoting fiscal conservatism. A legal assistant by training, Ms. Jasky has organized protests in Washington, D.C. as well as advocacy campaigns through a variety of online media and social networks. She is a Partner in Home Rehabilitation Investments, LLC in Troy, Michigan.  

 

David Karpf

is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. He also is a Faculty Associate with the Eagleton Institute of Politics and a Visiting Fellow with the Yale Information Society Project. Karpf’s research focuses on the internet’s effect on American political associations. His work has been published in several journals, and can be found at www.davidkarpf.com. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph J. Kelly

leads the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. From the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, as a Program Officer, Dr. Kelly directly managed or supervised most of PHC’s statewide initiatives, with extensive responsibilities for the bicentennials of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, 1987-1991. Since 1994, as Executive Director, he has initiated many changes at PHC, ranging from mission and vision to the exploration of informal learning as the core activity in the public humanities. On a national level, in 2009-2010, he chaired the Legislative Committee of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, which formulates its federal advocacy position. In 2001, Dr. Kelly was named “Citizen of the Year” by Pennsylvanians for Better Libraries, for leadership in support of public libraries. A native of Philadelphia, he holds a B.A. in English from Penn State and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Temple, with a concentration in 16th– and 17th–century literature and politics..

Thomas Kidd

teaches history and is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. He is the author of God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution (Basic Books, 2010), American Christians and Islam (Princeton University Press, 2008), The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America (Yale, 2007) and The Great Awakening: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Books, 2007). He writes regularly for outlets such as USAToday.com and Patheos.com.

Richard Kilberg

is President and Executive Producer of the Fred Friendly Seminars, Inc. He has been the executive producer for all Fred Friendly productions for 15 years, including the series In America II, In the Balance: Terrorism, Our Genes/Our Choices, and Liberty & Limits: The Federalist Idea 200 Years Later, and the specials, Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness, Ethics, Fueling Our Future, Disconnected: Politics, the Press and the Public, Epidemic!, Beyond Black and White: Affirmative Action in America, and Before I Die: Medical Care and Personal Choices, to name a few. His documentaries, Adam Clayton Powell, Huey Long, and The Brooklyn Bridge, have received two Academy Award Nominations, a DuPont Columbia Journalism Award, an Ohio State Journalism Award, and a Christopher Medal. Mr. Kilberg also has been a management consultant in the media and entertainment industry.

Munir Kreidie

is the son of UN diplomats (Lebanese and German) and spent most of his life overseas. Mr. Kreidie grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and experienced the civil war as a teenager. He finished high school in King of Prussia and received his B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in International Relations at Villanova University. Mr. Kreidie became an actor and has appeared in several films. He later moved to Quito, Ecuador, to teach and act, followed by moves to Bahrain and later to Saudi Arabia. He has traveled to over 40 countries. Mr. Kreidie currently teaches with the Philadelphia public schools and still acts in films.

Dayna Laur

has been a high school social studies teacher in Pennsylvania for 13 years. She currently teaches Advanced Placement U.S. Government, U.S. History, and Law. Recently, Ms. Laur earned recognition as a recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award from Shippensburg University and the first place award for the Civics First Curriculum Contest sponsored by Civics First and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She holds National Board Certification, a B.A. in History from Virginia Tech, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Pittsburgh, and an M.S. in 21st–Century Teaching and Learning from Wilkes University.

Francis Graham Lee

is a Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph’s University, where he previously served as President of the Faculty Senate, Dean of the University College, and Director of Graduate Programs. In addition to a book on the Burger Court, Lee has authored three books on the First Amendment’s religion clauses. His most recent books are Equal Protection: Rights and Liberties under the Law (ABC-CLIO, 2003) and The Collected Works of William Howard Taft (Ohio University Press, 2004). A native of Boston, Lee was educated at The Boston Latin School, received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Lee

is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Lee’s research projects stem from her theoretical interests in the intersection of race/ethnicity and immigration. She is author of Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America (Harvard University Press, 2002) and The Diversity Paradox: Immigration and the Color Line in 21st Century America (with Frank D. Bean, Russell Sage Foundation, 2010). She has been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, and a Fulbright Scholar to Japan. Lee received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University.

Stefanie Malone

is Community Outreach Manager at KCTS/Seattle, where she directs the television station’s community engagement and educational programs. She co-created the youth media literacy website “Don’t Buy It” on PBSKids.org and has served as an advisor on several national children’s programs and outreach campaigns. She also serves on advisory boards for a statewide early learning initiative, Thrive by Five, and the Wilderness Society. Ms. Malone received her B.S. in Communication from Ohio University and was awarded the Public Broadcasting fellowship for her M.A. in Communication at Ohio University.

Andrew March

is Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University and Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Law at Yale Law School. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of political theory, contemporary philosophical liberalism, Islamic political thought, Islamic law, religion and political theory, and comparative political theory. His book, Islam and Liberal Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2009), is an exploration of Islamic juridical discourse on the rights, loyalties and obligations of Muslim minorities in liberal polities. It won the 2009 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion from the American Academy of Religion. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oxford.

Susan Meyer

is Senior Director of Marketing/Communications at WOSU Public Media and is responsible for public relations, marketing, organizational development, customer service efforts, print services, and the volunteer program. She works on special projects related to Ohio State University and acts as a facilitator for the culture transformation process at OSU. Dr. Meyer is responsible, with the Columbus Metropolitan Library, for launching the popular columbusneighborhoods.org—an interactive web site for celebrating the uniqueness of the vibrant central Ohio community. Dr. Meyer earned a Ph.D. from OSU, specializing in religious controversy in British and American literature.

Lynn Novick

has been making acclaimed documentary films about American history for more than 20 years. Since the late 1990s, she has been the directing/producing partner of filmmaker Ken Burns. Their most recent collaboration, Prohibition, is a three–part, five and a half hour series airing on PBS in the fall of 2011. In 2010, Novick was director/producer with Burns, and writer with Burns and David McMahon, of The Tenth Inning. In 2007, she was director/producer with Burns of The War, an epic seven-part series that told the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of nearly 40 men and women from four American towns. The War received three Emmy awards as well as the Television Critics’ Association award for best news and information program of 2007. Novick also has directed or produced several more films, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Baseball, and Jazz. She is a graduate of Yale University.

Daniel Okrent

is the best-selling author of several critically acclaimed works, including Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center (Viking, 2003), a 2004 Pulitzer Prize finalist, and Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (Scribner, 2010.) Okrent has had a wide-ranging literary and journalistic career as the first public editor of The New York Times, editor-at-large of Time Inc., managing editor of Life magazine, and founder of New England Monthly. In publishing, Okrent worked as an editor at Knopf and Viking, and was editor-in-chief of general books at Harcourt Brace. Okrent also was a fellow at the Shorenstein Center at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he remains an Associate.

Erik Owens

 

is Associate Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology and International Studies at Boston College. His research explores a variety of intersections between religion and public life, with particular attention to civic education, ethics in international affairs, and the challenge of fostering the common good of a religiously diverse society. He is the co-editor of three books: Gambling: Mapping the American Moral Landscape (Baylor University Press, 2009), Religion and the Death Penalty: A Call for Reckoning (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004) and The Sacred and the Sovereign: Religion and International Politics (Georgetown University Press, 2003). He received his Ph.D. in religious ethics from the University of Chicago, an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from Duke University.

John G. Palfrey

is Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School and a faculty director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Palfrey is a regular commentator on news networks including: CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, NPR and BBC. Palfrey is co-author of Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives (Basic Books, 2008). He is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School.

Siobhan Reardon

became the seventh President and Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia in September 2008. She is the first woman to serve in this capacity in 114 years. Previously, Ms. Reardon was Executive Director of the Westchester (NY) Library System, a 38-member cooperative library system. Prior to that, she was Deputy Executive Director of the Brooklyn Public Library, serving as Chief Operating Officer of the nation’s fifth largest library system. She also served as Acting Executive Director and Director of Finance. She holds a B.A. from SUNY Purchase, an M.A. from Fordham University, and an M.L.S. from the Palmer School of Library Science at Long Island University.

Nicole Roper

has been teaching at West Catholic High School for 11 years. She is the History Department Chair and teaches AP/Honors American History and World History I. Ms. Roper is a member of the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies Executive Board and a member of the Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Committee for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She also moderates the West Catholic World Affairs Club—participating in Model UN conferences and attending lectures throughout the city of Philadelphia—and is involved extensively with the
National History Day program.

Michael Schudson

is Professor of Communication at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, where he has taught full-time since 2009. From 1981 to 2009, he taught at the University of California, San Diego. He is a sociologist and historian of journalism, mass media, and political culture. His books include Discovering the News (Basic Books, 1978), Advertising, the Uneasy Persuasion (Basic Books, 1984), Watergate in American Memory (Basic Books, 1992), The Good Citizen: A History of American Civic Life (Free Press, 1998), and Why Democracies Need an Unlovable Press (Polity , 2009). In 2009, he co-authored, with Leonard Downie, Jr., a report for Columbia Journalism School on the future of news, “The Reconstruction of American Journalism.”

Lauren Schwarze

joined the Nine Network of Public Media in January 2009, working on the local and then the national Facing the Mortgage Crisis initiative. She has been a leader in participatory media, developing and implementing the Nine Academy, Nine Network’s digital storytelling classes. Since its inception, over 450 community members have taken part in classes, and content produced has played an integral role in the Network’s initiatives. A native of San Francisco, Schwarze received a B.S. in Business Administration in Marketing and International Business from Washington University in St. Louis.

Rogers M. Smith

is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism. He was previously the Alfred Cowles Professor of Government at Yale University. He is the author or co-author of many essays and six books, including Liberalism and American Constitutional Law (Harvard University Press, 1985), Stories of Peoplehood (Cambridge University Press, 2003) and the forthcoming Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama’s America (with Desmond S. King; Princeton, 2011). His 1997 book, Civic Ideals (Yale University Press, 1999), received “best book” awards from the American Political Science Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Social Science History Association, and was a Finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in History. Smith holds a B.A. from James Madison College, Michigan State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dennis Thompson

is the Alfred North Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University, and the founding director of the university-wide Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. Thompson’s books include: Restoring Responsibility: Ethics in Government, Business, and Healthcare (Cambridge University Press, 2004); Just Elections: Creating a Fair Electoral Process in the United States (University Of Chicago Press, 2004); and Political Ethics and Public Office (Harvard University Press, 1987). He co-authored (with Amy Gutmann) Why Deliberative Democracy? (Princeton University Press, 2004) and Democracy and Disagreement (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998). At Harvard, he has held several major administrative positions, including Senior Adviser to the President. He received a first class honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford and a doctorate in political science from Harvard.

Laurence Tom

is a pastor at the Chinese Christian Church & Center in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. He studied graphic design, urban planning and public policy at Rutgers University and received an M.Div. from Biblical Theological Seminary. One of his side projects is PureCreative, a design studio integrating strategy and communication through the power of connecting creative people for the greater good. Pastor Tom previously worked for Apple, Inc.

John Yoo

is a professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley. His new book is Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George W. Bush (Kaplan Publishing, 2010). He also is the author of The Powers of War and Peace (University Of Chicago Press, 2005) and War by Other Means (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006). Professor Yoo was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on national security and terrorism after the September 11 attacks. Professor Yoo graduated from Yale Law School, where he was an articles editor of the Yale Law Journal, and summa cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in American history.

Ralph Young

is a history professor at Temple University. He lived in England and Germany for ten years, where he taught at London University and at Bremen Universität. He has done extensive research on seventeenth-century Puritanism, dissenters in the United States, and international terrorism. At present, in addition to teaching the Dissent in America course at Temple University, he is writing a narrative history of the United States from the standpoint of dissenters and, since September 2001, continuing to lead weekly teach-ins on the historical origins of American foreign policy and other controversial issues. Professor Young is the author of Dissent in America: The Voices That Shaped a Nation (Pearson/Longman, 2006.)

 

Featured Speakers

Amy Gutmann

became the eighth president of the University of Pennsylvania on July 1, 2004. As President, she has created an all-grant, no-loan undergraduate financial aid policy and increased undergraduate financial aid by 78 percent; recruited eminent teacher-scholars who hold joint appointments between two schools; expanded Penn’s campus by 47 acres while increasing its green space by 20 percent; and championed civic engagement domestically and globally, with Penn named a No. 1 “Good Neighbor” in 2009. An eminent political scientist and philosopher, Dr. Gutmann is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science with secondary faculty appointments in Philosophy, the Annenberg School for Communication, and the Graduate School of Education at Penn. She has authored and edited 15 books, published more than 100 articles, essays, and book chapters, and continues to teach and write on ethics and public policy, deliberative democracy, and education. She was named by President Barack Obama as chair of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues in 2009, and is a member of the Global Colloquium of University Presidents, which advises the Secretary General of the United Nations on a range of issues, including the social responsibility of universities. Prior to Penn, Dr. Gutmann served at Princeton University as Provost, Dean of the Faculty, the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics, and founding Director of the University Center for Human Values. Gutmann is a former President of the American Society of Political and Legal Philosophy, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the W. E. B. Du Bois Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and a Fellow of the National Academy of Education and the American Philosophical Society. She was recently named one of Newsweek’s 150 Women Who Shake the World. She received a Ph.D. from Harvard University, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard-Radcliffe College.

Jim Leach

is the ninth Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Nominated by President Barack Obama on July 9, 2009, and confirmed by the Senate in early August, Leach began his four-year term as NEH Chairman on August 12, 2009. Leach previously served 30 years representing southeastern Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and founded and co-chaired the Congressional Humanities Caucus. After leaving Congress in 2007, Leach joined the faculty at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, where he was the John L. Weinberg Visiting Professor of Public and International Affairs until his confirmation as NEH chairman. In September 2007, Leach took a year’s leave of absence from Princeton to serve as interim director of the Institute of Politics and lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Leach graduated from Princeton University, received a Master of Arts degree in Soviet politics from the School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University and did additional graduate studies at the London School of Economics. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Leach holds ten honorary degrees and has received numerous awards, including the Sidney R. Yates Award for Distinguished Public Service to the Humanities, the Woodrow Wilson Award from The Johns Hopkins University, the Adlai Stevenson Award from the United Nations Association, the Edgar Wayburn Award from the Sierra Club, the Wayne Morse Integrity in Politics Award and the Norman Borlaug Award for Public Service.

Chris Satullo

is executive director of news and civic dialogue at WHYY. He joined the public media service in December 2008 after nearly 20 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer. At the Inquirer, he served as editorial page editor and a columnist, among various positions. He founded the paper’s Citizen Voices program of civic dialogues on public issues, and in 2006, co-founded the Penn Project for Civic Engagement. He has won more than 50 awards for columns, editorials, reporting and civic engagement. Before coming to the Inquirer, he worked at the Express newspaper in Easton, Pa., where he was assistant managing editor and wrote a syndicated column. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of Williams College, he lives in Montgomery County, PA.

Hari Sreenivasan

is an online and on-air correspondent and Director of Digital Partnerships for PBS NewsHour. He provides regular news updates throughout the day on the web site in addition to appearing nightly on the program. While at CBS News, he reported regularly on the CBS Evening News, The Early Show and CBS Sunday Morning. Before that, he served as an anchor and correspondent for ABC News, working extensively on the network’s 24-hour digital service ABC News Now. Mr. Sreenivasan also reported for World News Tonight and Nightline. Previously, he ran his own production company and freelanced as a reporter for KTVU-TV in Oakland, CA. (2002-04). Mr. Sreenivasan served as an anchor and senior correspondent for CNET Broadcast in San Francisco, CA. (1996-2002) and was a reporter for WNCN-TV in Raleigh, NC (1995-96). He was born in Mumbai, India, where he spent his early childhood. Mr. Sreenivasan graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in mass communication and minors in politics and philosophy.

Breakout Sessions

 

Session 1: History - View the webcast

• Richard R. Beeman, John Welsh Centennial Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania (moderator)
• Alan Brinkley, Allan Nevins Professor of American History, Columbia University
• Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker, Florentine Films
• Sam Chaltain, educator and organizational change consultant
• Joseph J. Kelly, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Humanities Council
• Dayna Laur, educator, York Central High School
• Jennifer Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California-Irvine
• Stefanie Malone, Community Outreach Manager, KCTS 9
• Daniel Okrent, author & journalist
• Nicole Roper, educator, West Philadelphia Catholic High School
• Ralph Young, Professor, Department of History, Temple University

 

Session 2: Ethics and Political Philosophy - View the webcast

• Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania (moderator)
• Carl Ackerman, educator, Constitution High School
• William B. Allen, Professor of Political Philosophy, Michigan State University
• Ann Fisher, executive producer and host, All Sides with Ann Fisher, WOSU
• Amy Gutmann, President and Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
• Stephanie Jasky, Founder and Director, FedUpUSA
• Andrew March, Associate Professor of Political Science, Yale University
• Dennis Thompson, Professor of Government and Alfred North Whitehead Professor of Political Philosophy, Harvard University
• John Yoo, Professor, School of Law, University of California – Berkeley

 

Session 3: Media and Communications - View the webcast

• J. Michael Hogan, Liberal Arts Research Professor and Co-Director, Center for Democratic Deliberation, Pennsylvania State University (moderator)
• Tony Blankley, Executive Vice President, Global Affairs, Edelman
• Mona Charen, syndicated columnist
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School of Communication and Walter & Leonore Annenberg Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania
• Tanya Hamilton, film director and writer  
• Richard Kilberg, President, Fred Friendly Seminars
• Lynn Novick, documentary filmmaker, Florentine Films
• Siobhan Reardon, President & Director, Free Library of Philadelphia
• Michael Schudson, Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

 

Session 4: Religion - View the webcast

• Jeff Bundy, Community Relations Manager, WHYY
• Francis Graham Lee, Professor of Political Science, St. Joseph's University 
• Jeanne Halgren Kilde, Director, Religious Studies Program, University of Minnesota
• Thomas Kidd, Associate Professor of History and Senior Fellow, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University
• Munir Kreidie, teacher, Kensington CAPA
• Susan Meyer, Senior Director, Marketing, Communications, and Organizational Development, WOSU Public Media
• Erik Owens, Associate Director, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology and International Studies, Boston College   
• Laurence Tom, pastor, Chinese Christian Church and Center

 

Session 5: Civic and Social Entrepreneurs - View the webcast

• David Eisner, President & CEO, National Constitution Center (moderator)
• W. Wilson Goode, Sr., National Director, Amachi Program
• Lauren Hughes, Community Relations Coordinator, WHYY
• Caren Izzo, teacher, Haddonfield Middle School
• David Karpf, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University School of Communication and Information; Faculty Associate, Eagleton Institute of Politics
• Lauren Schwarze, Project Manager, Nine Network of Public Media 

Program Schedule

 

Friday, March 25, 2011

6:30 p.m. (F.M. Kirby Auditorium)
Screening, Prohibition

Saturday, March 26, 2011

10:00 a.m. (F.M. Kirby Auditorium) View the webcast.

Opening Remarks

• Alison Young, VP of Public Engagement, National Constitution Center
• Jim Leach, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities

 

Public Panel

• Keli A. Carender, political activist and blogger
• David Eisner, President & CEO, National Constitution Center
• Lee Hamilton, former U.S. Representative (D-IN); Director, Center on Congress at Indiana University
• John G. Palfrey, Jr., Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law; Vice Dean, Library and Information Resources; Faculty Co-Director, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Law School

Tickets are required. To reserve your seat, call 215.409.6700.

Keynote Address: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. View the webcast.

•  Keynote speaker - Amy Gutmann, President and Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

 

Breakout Session : 1:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. View the webcasts.

During five concurrent breakout sessions, educators, journalists, community leaders, public service workers, and scholarly participants will discuss how to establish civic dialogue that simultaneously advances the common good and respects the voices of protest that often contribute to social progress.

These sessions will be webcast live on www.constitutioncenter.org. Due to limited space, these sessions are not open to the public onsite.

Click here for a list of breakout session participants and topics.

 

Public Town Hall: 4:30  p.m. – 6:30 p.m. View the webcast.

Following the discussion sessions, all participants will come together for a public town hall exchange, moderated by PBS NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan.  The exchange also will include an audience Q&A session.

Tickets are required. To reserve your seat, call 215.409.6700. The town hall will be webcast live on www.constitutioncenter.org.

 

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Forum participants will brainstorm ways to create and disseminate subsequent programming to engage people in communities nationwide in reflection on, and discussion about, the themes of civility, democracy, and dissent.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Wedding Testimonials

Wedding Testimonials

We’ll have your guests raving about your wedding for years to come! See what some recent brides and their families had to say about their experience at the National Constitution Center.

“Everything was spectacular. We received so many compliments about the venue and food. People said it was best wedding ever. The caterer was outstanding from hors d’oeuvres to dessert. The whole experience was magnificent.”

“Many of our guests said that ours was the best wedding they have ever attended. Everyone thought that the space was spectacular and the food amazing. Thank you so much for facilitating such a wonderful experience!”

“It was an enjoyable experience working with the National Constitution Center facility rental staff and the staff from the caterer. My daughter lives in San Diego, and both staffs were a tremendous help in planning a ‘bicoastal’ wedding. They went above and beyond in everything they did for us.”

“We have nothing but the highest praise and thanks to the National Constitution Center staff and the caterer. Cait and Jim's wedding was fabulous. The staff was so professional and helpful to work with before and during the wedding. Our guests are still raving about the evening and will do so for many years.”

“The National Constitution Center and the caterer were excellent in every way. It is still unbelievable to me that we were able to find such a perfect space, and at comparable prices to places that were not as nice or as inclusive. It was so elegant and upscale, and was definitely the most professional experience I've had. I felt like a dignitary—or at least a celebrity—with the treatment we received!”

“It was beyond what I imagined for my daughter's big day. When anyone asks me how it all went, I say it was a fairy tale wedding. Thank you!”

Archived Webcasts

Archived Webcasts

Everything’s Gone Green: The Story of Earth Day, April 19-20, 2012

Constitution Hall Pass: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Legacy of Service

Dollars and Sense, April 18, 2011

Bill of Rights Day, December 15, 2010

Constitution Day: 2010

Thanksgiving

Constitution Day: 2011

Everything’s Gone Green: The Story of Earth Day, April 19-20, 2012

Constitution Hall Pass: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Legacy of Service

Lesson Plans

Breaking Barriers - Elementary School

Breaking Barriers - Middle School

Breaking Barriers - High School

Dollars and Sense, April 18, 2011

Bill of Rights Day, December 15, 2010

Constitution Day: 2010

Download lesson plans.

Thanksgiving

Constitution Day: 2011

225th Anniversary Press Room

 

FREEDOM IS CALLING: ANSWER IT AT THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER
DURING AN EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION
OF THE CONSTITUTION'S 225TH ANNIVERSARY

 

On September 17, 1787, our Founding Fathers signed a revolutionary document that, even today, continues to change the world and inspire passionate conversation. Throughout 2012, the National Constitution Center will serve as the headquarters of a historic milestone: the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. The Center will engage Americans nationwide during this pivotal election year with an exciting lineup of onsite and online programs that celebrate the freedom and pride that our founding document inspires. The commemoration will culminate in September with a star-studded Liberty Medal ceremony and an array of Constitution Day festivities that honor the Constitution's legacy of freedom.

The Center invites all Americans to reaffirm their commitment to freedom by becoming a signer of the Constitution – either online or on-site at the Center, where visitors will sign a special commemorative 225th anniversary Constitution that will be on display in Signers' Hall throughout the year. The signatures will appear alongside those of dignitaries, politicians and other VIPs who visit the Center in 2012.

As part of the landmark commemoration of the Constitution's 225th anniversary in 2012, the National Constitution Center is launching its first comprehensive brand campaign since opening in 2003. Created in partnership with local brand conversation agency Neiman, the newly unveiled brand celebrates the Constitution's legacy of freedom. The first tangible representation of the Center's new brand is a 30-second TV commercial. The dramatic TV spot illuminates the National Constitution Center experience while evoking the freedom, perseverance and American pride that our founding document inspires.

Freedom is Calling from National Constitution Center on Vimeo.

Press Kit:

• 225th anniversary release
• Brand backgrounder
• The making of our new commercial

To launch our yearlong festivities, Governor Jack Markell of Delaware – the first state to ratify the Constitution – joined us as the first governor to present an official, signed proclamation commemorating the Constitution's historic 225th anniversary. Click here to read his op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the importance of this milestone anniversary.

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Images for Download

Delaware Proclamation signed by Governor Jack Markell in honor of the U.S. Constitution's 225th anniversary.

















 

11-year-old Kiera McNeill of Telford, PA, star of the National Constitution Center's new TV commercial.

















 

A still from the National Constitution Center's new TV commercial. Special effects show Kiera McNeill among child laborers in the early 1900s.














 

A still from the National Constitution Center's new TV commercial shows Kiera McNeill in awe of the Center's award-winning theatrical production Freedom Rising.










 

A still from the National Constitution Center's new TV commercial. Special effects show Kiera McNeill among protesters in the Civil Rights movement.









 

Kiera McNeill stands in front of a green screen while preparing to shoot a scene for the National Constitution Center's new TV commercial.











 

The National Constitution Center's new advertising campaign celebrates the Constitution's legacy of freedom.










 

From left to right - National Constitution Center CEO David Eisner, Kiera McNeill and Delaware Governor Jack Markell sign a commemorative 225th anniversary Constitution. Visitors can sign the 225th anniversary Constitution onsite and online throughout this milestone celebration. Photo credit: Jeff Fusco Photography.

Marketing and Communications

Revel in the “Glory Days” at the NCC During ‘80s Themed Party

Top Digital Experts Discuss Role of Social Media in the 2012 Election

It’s Easy Being Green! Students Learn How to Turn Every Day into Earth Day Courtesy the NCC

Private Collection of Original Bruce Springsteen Photographs Now on Display at the NCC