America's Town Hall

The Life and Constitutional Legacy of Gouverneur Morris

Thursday, December 12 | Noon ET

Dennis Rasmussen, author of The Constitution’s Penman: Gouverneur Morris and the Creation of America’s Basic Charter; Melanie Randolph Miller, editor of the Gouverneur Morris Papers: Diaries Project; and William Treanor, dean of Georgetown Law explore the fantastic life and constitutional legacy of Gouverneur Morris: Founding Father, key member of the Committee of Style, and opponent of slavery.

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Educational Resources on the Constitution

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Educational Videos

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Founders’ Library

Read over 150 primary source documents that inspired the Founders and defined modern thought about rights and liberties.

Electoral College

Most democratic nations on earth elect their presidents by direct popular vote, but that was never the American system and still is not. We use the Electoral College system to choose our president.

Blog Post
The Electoral College’s Role in the 2024 Election

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, voters from around the country will complete the process of choosing electors who will pick the next president and vice president of the United States.

Interpretations
Article II, Section 1, Clauses 2 and 3

Most democratic nations on earth elect their presidents by direct popular vote, but that was never the American system and still is not.

Town Hall Video
Electing the President: The Popular Vote vs. The Electoral College

Authors Jesse Wegman and Robert Hardaway examine the history and current debate over the Electoral College.

Video About Elections

Watch videos featured in the National Constitution Center's Constitution 101 partnership with with Khan Academy.

Blog Post
Why did the founders create the Electoral College?

In this video, Alexander Keyssar talks about why the founders created the Electoral College.

Blog Post
Why didn’t the founders choose to select the president through a national popular vote?

Derek Muller talks about why the founders did not choose a national popular vote to select the president.

Blog Post
What does the Constitution say about voting?

Alexander Keyssar talks about what the Constitution says about voting.

Election Amendments

Since the Founding, several amendments have changed how federal elections are conducted.

Blog Post
A Common Interpretation: The 12th Amendment and the Electoral College

As part of the National Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution project, Sanford Levinson from the University of Texas examines the Electoral College’s origins, its evolution, and reform measures related to it.

Blog Post
How the 20th Amendment made lame-duck sessions less lame

One of the most important, but least discussed, constitutional amendments made government more responsive by greatly shorting the time outgoing elected officials have a role in passing laws.

Interpretations
The Twenty-Third Amendment

The Amendment allows American citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for presidential electors, who in turn vote in the Electoral College for President and Vice President.

Election Process

How the election process is conducted and the Constitution’s role in setting the guidelines for elections have changed greatly over time.

Blog Post
Fewer scenarios likely for a tie in the 2024 presidential election

Unlike other recent campaigns, the specter of a tied election is less likely to hang over the 2024 presidential election due to changes related to the 2020 decennial United States Census.

Blog Post
The Constitution and the federal election process

On Nov. 5, 2024, voters will head to the polls in person to select the next president and vice president of the United States, as well as members of the 119th Congress. How that process is conducted, and the Constitution’s role in setting the guidelines for elections, has changed greatly over time.

Podcast
America’s Most Consequential Elections: From FDR to Reagan

A conversation with authors Michael Gerhardt and Andrew Busch comparing these pivotal presidencies

At the Museum

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The First Amendment

The Center's newest gallery offers a fresh perspective on the history of the First Amendment and how it impacts us today.

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Signers’ Hall

Signers’ Hall invites you to sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.

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