PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 9, 2026) —The National Constitution Center today announced that Governing the Nation, a new permanent gallery exploring the Constitution’s system of separated powers, will open to the public on Friday, May 15, 2026. Governing the Nation is an immersive gallery that explores how the Constitution organizes power across the three branches of government and between the federal system and the states.
“At the heart of the Constitution is a bold and enduring idea: that power must be divided to preserve liberty,” said Interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center Vince Stango. “Governing the Nation brings that idea to life helping visitors understand not only how our government works, but why it was designed this way, and how it continues to shape American constitutional democracy.”
Visitors encounter these principles in action through both hands-on experiences and artifacts from defining moments in American history. Highlights include a game in which visitors can test their knowledge of congressional power, a decision-making simulation exploring executive leadership on a model of the Resolute Desk, and a role-playing interactive that allows visitors to decide cases at the Supreme Court bench. The exhibit also features rare and significant artifacts, including materials from the National Constitution Center’s collection: a chair from the First Congress, a Florida voting booth and butterfly ballot from the 2000 presidential election, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fedora, a gameboard made at a Japanese internment camp, and a wheelchair used by disability rights advocate Justin Dart Jr. at the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The exhibit also brings together artifacts from a variety of institutions. Such items include a pamphlet written by Alexander Hamilton on the constitutionality of the National Bank from the Library Company of Philadelphia, President Ulysses S. Grant’s bible from the Ohio History Connection, and Chief Justice John Marshall’s spectacles from Preservation Virginia. Together, these experiences and artifacts illustrate how the Constitution has been interpreted, contested, and applied across American history.
The development of Governing the Nation was guided by a distinguished scholarly advisory board representing leading universities and research institutions, ensuring a rigorous and balanced exploration of the separation of powers and federalism. Notable scholars include H. W. Brands, Cristina Rodríguez, Yuval Levin, Michael Klarman, Gail Heriot, and Ilan Wurman.
The exhibit is made possible through the generosity of Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst. A $15 million gift from Mr. Griffin, the single largest donation in the organization’s history, has enabled the opening of Governing the Nation as well as America’s Founding, which opened in February.
The opening of Governing the Nation coincides with another major milestone for the National Constitution Center–a new book titled The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals (published by Simon & Schuster on May 12, 2026).
The volume brings together an ideologically diverse group of leading scholars to explore the principles at the heart of the American constitutional tradition. As part of the Center’s Our Story Continues initiative, The Promise of America will serve as the foundation for a nationwide book club program, creating opportunities for learners of all ages to engage with these ideas together through reading and civil dialogue, during the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026 and throughout the civic decade leading to the Constitution’s 250th in 2037.
Together, the book, the new Governing the Nation gallery, and the recently opened America’s Founding gallery create shared civic experiences that deepen understanding of the Constitution and engage Americans with its enduring ideas. To welcome visitors from across the nation during the anniversary year, the National Constitution Center will extend its operating schedule, opening 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. seven days a week from May 25 through July 19, 2026.
###
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.
