FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Annie Stone, 703-217-1169 [email protected]
Jonathan Thompson, 202-821-8926 [email protected]
NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER TO DISPLAY 50-TON FIRST AMENDMENT TABLET FROM NEWSEUM FACADE
Pennsylvania Avenue’s iconic First Amendment stone tablet finds new home on Independence Mall in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA (March 18, 2021) – The National Constitution Center announced it will be the new home for the iconic First Amendment tablet from the former Newseum building in Washington, D.C. The 50-ton marble tablet, engraved with the 45 words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, was displayed on the four-story-high, 74-foot-tall Pennsylvania Avenue façade of the Newseum, a nonprofit museum founded by the Freedom Forum and dedicated to the five freedoms of the First Amendment.
Work has begun to remove the stone pieces from the building, which was sold to Johns Hopkins University after the Newseum closed in 2019. The tablet remained the property of the Freedom Forum, and will be a gift to the National Constitution Center. The tablet will be reconfigured and emplaced along a 100-foot-wide wall on the National Constitution Center’s Grand Hall Overlook, the second-floor atrium overlooking historic Independence Mall.
“We are thrilled to bring this heroic marble tablet of the First Amendment to the National Constitution Center, to inspire visitors from across America and around the world for generations to come,” said National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. “It’s so meaningful to bring the text of the First Amendment to Philadelphia, in a majestic space overlooking Independence Hall, where the original Constitution was drafted, as a permanent monument to the five freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.”
“It was important to us to find a location for the tablet where it could be on public display, and where millions of Americans could continue to expand their understanding of and appreciation for our First Amendment freedoms,” said Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum, who recently joined the National Constitution Center Board of Trustees. “We are incredibly pleased that the tablet will have a prominent new home at the National Constitution Center where it can be part of their efforts to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution.”
The redesign and installation of the tablet at the National Constitution Center is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Honorable J. Michael Luttig and Mrs. Elizabeth A. Luttig. A dedication ceremony will take place in the fall of 2021, which will kick off programming about the First Amendment.
The large tablet of Tennessee pink marble, which was engraved, fabricated, and erected in 2007 at the Newseum’s 555 Pennsylvania Avenue location, will be removed in sections and transported to Philadelphia over several months.
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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.
About the Freedom Forum
The Freedom Forum’s mission is to foster First Amendment freedoms for all. It works to raise awareness of First Amendment freedoms through education, advocacy and action, sharing the stories of Americans who have exercised their rights to ignite change. Established July 4, 1991, by founder Al Neuharth, the Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) foundation that advances First Amendment freedoms through initiatives that include the Religious Freedom Center, NewseumED, the Power Shift Project, the annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, the Chips Quinn Scholars and the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media. The Freedom Forum Institute’s affiliate organizations include the Al Neuharth Media Center at the University of South Dakota; the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics at the University of Mississippi; and the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University.
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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.
