America's Town Hall
Constitutional Meaning in the Shadow of the Articles of Confederation
Monday, May 12 | 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
The Brennan Center for Justice and the National Constitution Center present a symposium exploring how the Articles of Confederation shaped the U.S. Constitution. Historians, legal scholars, and journalists will examine the legacy of the Articles of Confederation, the founding debates over federal power, and the lasting influence of these debates on constitutional interpretation today.
Learn MoreThe National Constitution Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate.
Museum Open Wednesday-Sunday
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Latest From the NCC
The Presidential Pardon Power
Exploring the evolution of the presidential pardon From Jefferson to Trump
The Future of Birthright Citizenship: A Constitutional Debate
Legal experts Gabriel Chin, Amanda Frost, Kurt Lash, and Ilan Wurman analyze the legal challenges surrounding birthright citizenship and explore the constitutional and historical arguments on all sides of this debate.
Justice David Souter’s Supreme Court legacy
The Supreme Court announced on Friday that retired Associate Justice David H. Souter has died at the age of 85 at his residence in New Hampshire. Souter left the bench in 2009, and his term was marked by several noteworthy decisions and a perceived shift in his voting patterns.
Educational Resources on the Constitution
Live Online Programs
Join us for live virtual classes and other interactive online events for learners.
Educational Videos
Browse the latest educational videos on a range of topics and recoded sessions from our live classes.
Founders’ Library
Read over 150 primary source documents that inspired the Founders and defined modern thought about rights and liberties.
Explore Constitutional Topics
Executive Power
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.
President Trump’s Executive Orders
Examining the legal and constitutional stakes of the president’s actions
Can a president refuse to spend funds approved by Congress?
Shortly after President Donald Trump took office, his administration briefly paused federal spending on various programs. Although that spending has been restored, the move led to questions about the separation of powers between the president and Congress.
Defining the president’s constitutional powers to issue executive orders
Among the most powerful tools available to the president are executive orders, which are written policy directives issued by the president with much of the same power as federal law. However, such orders are not explicitly defined in the Constitution and rest on historical practice, executive interpretations, and court decisions.
14th Amendment: Citizenship
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
A look back at the Wong Kim Ark decision
President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to redefine birthright citizenship has cast a new light on a landmark Supreme Court decision, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898).
Does the Constitution Require Birthright Citizenship?
Professors Akhil Amar and Edward Erler debate the president’s proposal to revoke birthright citizenship, diving into the history of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause with host Jeffrey Rosen.
The Citizenship Clause
The Constitution as originally adopted assumes that there is citizenship of the United States, and of the States, but does not explicitly provide a rule that tells whether anyone is a citizen of either (other than by giving Congress the power to naturalize).
The Founders
Listen to and watch programs from the National Constitution Center on the founding generation.
The Life and Constitutional Legacy of Gouverneur Morris
Scholars Melanie Randolph Miller, Dennis Rasmussen, and William Treanor explore the life and constitutional legacy of Gouverneur Morris.
How Religious Were the Founders?
The founders’ views on faith in private and public life
The Legacy of John Adams
The constitutional vision and moral virtues of John Adams and his family
At the Court
The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
Supreme Court to consider reverse sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit
In a case with implications for employment law, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in late February in a lawsuit brought by a heterosexual woman who claims she was discriminated against based on her sexual orientation.
Can Texas Require Age Verification on Adult Sites?
The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
The Supreme Court questions law on gender affirming care for teenagers
A divided Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2024 considered one of the highest profile cases in its current term, leaving perhaps more questions than answers about how it will decide if a state can regulate gender-affirming health care for teenagers.
At the Museum
Experience the Constitution through rare artifacts, historic documents, interactive galleries, and live programming.
Now Open
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.
Virtual Tour
Signers’ Hall
Signers’ Hall invites you to sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.