PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 28, 2026) —This fall, the National Constitution Center’s America’s Town Hall series will bring together leading scholars, authors, journalists, and public officials to explore topics ranging from understanding the First Amendment in the age of artificial intelligence, how people with different ideological views can come together over shared ideals, and issues that are expected to be before the U.S. Supreme Court next year. Presented as part of the Center’s commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, the programs will examine the people, ideas, and debates that shaped the nation and continue to influence American civic life.
“The National Constitution Center has presented more public programming in the first eight months of this year than during any comparable period in our history, and this fall we are continuing that extraordinary momentum,” said Vince Stango, interim president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. “America’s 250th is an opportunity not only to celebrate our history, but to engage seriously with the ideas and debates that have shaped our nation and remain central to its future. As America’s Town Hall, we are proud to bring together leading thinkers of different backgrounds and perspectives to engage in thoughtful, civil conversations about the questions at the heart of our constitutional democracy. That work is central to the Civic Decade ahead, as we look from the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence to the 250th anniversaries of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
Unless otherwise noted, programs are available both in person at the National Constitution Center and online. Additional programs will be announced on a rolling basis. For the most up to date information and registration, visit constitutioncenter.org/calendar.
The First Amendment and Artificial Intelligence
Wednesday, September 9 | 1:15 – 2:15 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
Join the National Constitution Center for a special keynote conversation examining the intersection of the First Amendment and artificial intelligence. Technology and constitutional scholar Jonathan Zittrain and Ellen Goodman, Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School, will examine how constitutional values can help guide emerging technologies and what the future of free expression looks like in the digital age.
This program is presented in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of First Amendment Day, a new annual celebration at the Center inviting visitors of all ages to explore the five freedoms of the First Amendment through conversation, creativity, history, and hands-on experiences.
The First at 250 With Governors Spencer Cox and Josh Shapiro
Wednesday, September 9 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
In Person at the Kimmel Center
Join Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) for an honest, lively conversation about the ideas that unite and divide us—and why how we talk to each other matters more than ever. Set against the backdrop of America's 250th birthday, this landmark evening brings together two leaders for a candid fireside chat on the First Amendment, free expression, and how we can rekindle values at the heart of our democracy by learning to disagree better. The program will be moderated by The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception featuring live music by Artistas y Músicos Latino Americanos. The program begins at 6:30 p.m.
This event is presented by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in partnership with Disagree Better and the National Constitution Center in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
What the Founders Learned From the Ancients
Thursday, September 10 | 5 – 6:30 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
The National Constitution Center and the University of Pennsylvania Department of Classical Studies present a conversation with renowned Enlightenment scholar and Stanford University professor Caroline Winterer exploring how the American founders drew inspiration not only from classical Greece and Rome, but also from other civilizations in the ancient world, including Carthage, Rome’s great rival.
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the conversation will examine how broadly the founders looked to the ancient world for inspiration during the American Revolution and how those ideas helped shape American constitutional democracy. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Following the program, guests at the Center will enjoy exclusive access to America’s Founding, one of the Center’s new permanent galleries, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This program is presented in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Department of Classical Studies. It is the first in a three-part lecture series featuring Winterer titled “American Antiquities: Beyond the Classical World of the American Founders.” Information about the additional lectures is available through the University of Pennsylvania Department of Classical Studies.
Rediscovering America’s Forgotten Founders: Architects of the Constitution
Thursday, September 17 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
This Constitution Day, the National Constitution Center will explore the lives and legacies of four influential but often overlooked founders: John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson. These “forgotten founders” played critical roles in drafting the Constitution, shaping the structure of the new government, and securing the document’s ratification.
Carol Berkin, author of the National Constitution Center’s definitive short biographies of all 56 signers; Jane E. Calvert, author of Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson; Scott S. Greenberger, author of The Forsaken Founder: Gouverneur Morris, the Unsung Patriot Who Wrote the Constitution, Stood Up to Slavery, and Survived the Reign of Terror; and Jesse Wegman, author of The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution, will examine how these figures shaped the Constitution and why their ideas continue to resonate in American civic life today. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Before the program, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., guests at the Center will enjoy exclusive access to the new permanent galleries Governing the Nation and America’s Founding.
Following the conversation, all four panelists will participate in a joint book signing. Their latest books will be available for purchase in the National Constitution Center’s Museum Store.
Previewing the Supreme Court’s 2026–2027 Term
Monday, September 28 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
Join the National Constitution Center for a timely conversation previewing the Supreme Court’s 2026–2027 term. Masha Hansford, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell; Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog; and Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News, will break down the biggest cases on the docket, unpack the constitutional questions at stake, and explore the issues that could have the greatest impact on the Court in the year ahead. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Before the program, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., guests at the Center will enjoy exclusive access to the new permanent galleries Governing the Nation and America’s Founding.
The Holy Experiment: Religious Liberty, Pennsylvania, and the Making of America
Tuesday, September 29 | 5 – 6 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
Long before the First Amendment guaranteed the free exercise of religion, William Penn envisioned Pennsylvania as a “Holy Experiment” founded on liberty of conscience. Pennsylvania became a place where people of different faiths sought to live together under laws that protected religious freedom while cultivating civic life. Yet that experiment was also marked by contradiction, compromise, and exclusion. University of Pennsylvania Professor Marci Hamilton and St. Joseph’s University Professor Emeritus Randall Miller join for a conversation exploring how Pennsylvania’s founding shaped the nation’s understanding of religious liberty, what William Penn’s vision achieved, where it fell short, and what this history can teach us about sustaining constitutional democracy today. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program celebrates the opening of Pennsylvania’s Founding: How a City and a Colony Shaped America’s DNA, a special exhibition opening to the public on September 30 at the National Constitution Center, developed in partnership with Drexel University and curated by Drexel’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships and Atwater Kent Collection. Guests joining the event at the Center are invited to attend an exclusive reception and preview the new exhibition from 6 – 8:30 p.m.
NCC Book Club: Richard Brookhiser on The Hero Returns: Lafayette and the Legacy of Revolution
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 1 – 2 p.m.
Online
Richard Brookhiser, senior editor at National Review, joins to discuss his latest book, The Hero Returns: Lafayette and the Legacy of Revolution. When the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States in 1824, Americans welcomed him as the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War. The Hero Returns explores Lafayette’s celebrated farewell tour and examines how his visit helped Americans reflect on the meaning and enduring legacy of the Revolution. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
About NCC Book Club: This event is part of the National Constitution Center’s Book Club series, which invites Americans of all ages to engage with works by leading scholars and thinkers exploring the Constitution, American history, and the ideas that shape our constitutional democracy. Through conversations with authors representing a range of perspectives, the series encourages thoughtful discussion grounded in primary sources and constitutional principles. The Center convenes these conversations as a forum for learning and dialogue. The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Constitution Center. Programs will be offered both virtually and in person at the Center in Philadelphia.
The Living Declaration: A Biography of America’s Founding Text
Wednesday, October 21 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
Historian and former presidential speechwriter Ted Widmer joins Eric Slauter, deputy dean of the Humanities Division and master of the Humanities Collegiate Division associate professor at the University of Chicago, and Lucas Morel, John K. Boardman professor of politics at Washington & Lee University, for a conversation exploring the long afterlife of the Declaration of Independence and its enduring place in American life. Reflecting particularly on our nation’s first half century, they will discuss the Declaration’s ideas and ideals, the people and events that shaped how the first generations of Americans interpreted and sought to embody them, and the document’s continuing influence, from politics and public debate to culture and civic life. The conversation builds on The Living Declaration: A Biography of America’s Founding Text (Library of America, 2026), a new volume edited by Widmer that traces the Declaration’s remarkable history and evolving meaning across 250 years. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Before the program, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., guests at the Center will enjoy exclusive access to America’s Founding, one of the Center’s new permanent galleries.
This program is presented in partnership with Library of America, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Declaring Independence: From British Subjects to an American People
Monday, December 7 | 6 – 7 p.m. ET
In Person and Online
Lindsay M. Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, and Jane Kamensky, president and CEO of Monticello, explore how Americans made the extraordinary leap from British subjects to citizens of a new nation. They examine the relationships, arguments, and ruptured loyalties behind the Declaration, including the unlikely partnership of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams; what independence meant for the new nation’s sovereignty and place in the world; and the questions about union and self-government that 1776 left for future generations to answer. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Chervinsky and Kamensky contributed essays to the National Constitution Center’s The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals, which accompanies the Center’s Interactive Declaration of Independence.
Before the program, from 5 to 6 p.m., guests joining us at the Center will enjoy exclusive access to America’s Founding, one of our new permanent galleries.
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About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center 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.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
