PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 4, 2024) – Today, the National Constitution Center (NCC) released a lineup of new programming as part of its America’s Town Hall series of constitutional conversations and debates, moderated by NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. All programs are free to the public and will be held live online via Zoom and YouTube. The full list of programs, including registration information, is available HERE. All programs are open to the press and require registration.
On Thursday, April 11, the spring season of America’s Town Hall kicks off with Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and author Ronald Collins discussing Collins’ new book on the Emmitt Till murder trial and how its outcome became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. On Tuesday, April 16, authors and presidential scholars Michael Gerhardt and Andrew Busch will explore the pivotal elections of Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan, and how they transformed the Constitution and shaped the nation.
Meta Oversight Board members Michael McConnell and Kenji Yoshino join America’s Town Hall on Monday, April 29, for a program focused on the board’s recent efforts to ensure election integrity in the runup to the 2024 presidential election.
On Friday, May 10, in conversation with Rosen, author A.J. Jacobs will discuss his new book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning, and together they will explore what it means to live constitutionally today. On Wednesday, May 15, tech policy experts Mark Coeckelbergh, Mary Anne Franks, and Marc Rotenberg will convene to discuss constitutional challenges in the age of AI.
The month of May rounds out with scholar authors Steven Hahn and Manisha Sinha on Monday, May 20, as they explore America’s historical encounters with illiberalism and its relevance to contemporary challenges to American democracy today.
In a dual book talk on Wednesday, June 12, authors Yuval Levin and Aziz Rana discuss their respective new books addressing the power of the Constitution in reviving the American dream. On Monday, June 17, political theorist William B. Allen and author Alison LaCroix explore the intellectual foundations of the constitutional vision and core values from America’s founding through the Civil War.
The Center celebrates Juneteenth with a book talk featuring author Eddie Glaude Jr., showcasing his newest book, We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For, and exploring how ordinary people have the capacity to achieve a more just and perfect democracy.
On July 1, leading international security law experts Harold Hongju Koh, Deborah Pearlstein, and Matthew Waxman explore and updated edition of Koh’s landmark book, The National Security Constitution in the Twenty-First Century.
All programs are open to the press. Please RSVP to Moira Bagley Smith or via the program links below.
America’s Town Hall Spring/Summer 2024 Programming
The Legacy of Emmett Till: From Tragedy to Activism
Thursday, April 11 | Noon ET
Free Online
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, joins Ronald Collins, author of Tragedy on Trial: The Story of the Infamous Emmett Till Murder Trial, to discuss the tragedy of Emmett Till’s murder, the shocking story of the trial that followed, and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
America’s Most Consequential Presidential Elections: Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan
Tuesday, April 16 | 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
Join Michael Gerhardt, author of the new book FDR’s Mentors: Navigating the Path to Greatness, and Andrew Busch, author of Reagan’s Victory: The Presidential Election of 1980 and the Rise of the Right, to explore three of America’s pivotal elections that transformed the Constitution and shaped the nation. NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates.
Ensuring Election Integrity: Insights From Meta’s Oversight Board
Monday, April 29 | Noon ET
Free Online
As Meta surpassed 2 billion users in 2019, the company created an independent oversight board to review appeals of controversial decisions involving content moderation. Join members of Meta’s Oversight Board, Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School and Kenji Yoshino of New York University School of Law, as they discuss the board’s recent work, including its efforts ensure free and fair elections in advance of the 2024 presidential election. NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates.
Living Constitutionally: Insights From A.J. Jacobs and Jeffrey Rosen
Friday, May 10 | Noon ET
Free Online
Join A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning, in conversation with NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, author of the new book The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America, as they explore what it means to live constitutionally today.
Constitutional Challenges in the Age of AI
Wednesday, May 15 | Noon ET
Free Online
Tech policy experts Mark Coeckelbergh, author of the new book Why AI Undermines Democracy and What To Do About It, Mary Anne Franks of George Washington University Law School, and Marc Rotenberg of the Center for AI and Digital Policy explore the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and constitutional principles and suggest strategies to protect democratic values in the digital age.
America’s Confrontations With Illiberalism: From Past to Present
Monday, May 20 | Noon ET
Free Online
Steven Hahn, author of Illiberal America: A History, joins Manisha Sinha, author of The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860–1920, for a conversation exploring America’s historical encounters with illiberalism and its relevance to contemporary challenges confronting American democracy today. Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Can the Constitution Revive the American Dream?
Wednesday, June 12 | Noon ET
Free Online
Delve into a discussion of two new books examining the Constitution as America’s religion, its role in fostering the American dream, and whether it holds the power to reignite it, with Yuval Levin, author of American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again, and Aziz Rana, author of The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.
The Intellectual Origins of the Founding and Civil War Constitution
Monday, June 17 | Noon ET
Free Online
Political theorist William B. Allen, editor and translator of a new edition of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws, and Alison LaCroix, author of The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms, explore the intellectual foundations—from Montesquieu and beyond—of the U.S. constitutional vision and core values from America’s founding through the Civil War.
A Conversation on Black Leadership With Eddie Glaude Jr.
Wednesday, June 19 | Noon ET
Free Online
In celebration of Juneteenth, join political commentator and bestselling author Eddie Glaude Jr. for a discussion on his newest book. In We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For, Glaude explores how ordinary people, through the examples of leading Black Americans Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Ella Baker, have the capacity to achieve a more just and perfect democracy.
The National Security Constitution Today
Monday, July 1 | 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
Join leading international and national security law experts, Harold Hongju Koh of Yale Law School, Deborah Pearlstein of Princeton University, and Matthew Waxman of Columbia Law School, for a conversation exploring the updated edition of Koh’s landmark book, The National Security Constitution in the Twenty-First Century.
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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.
