In December 1791, the states ratified the first 10 amendments to the Constitution—the Bill of Rights. Every year, the National Constitution Center hosts a celebration to honor the liberties enshrined in these amendments. This Bill of Rights Day, the Center presents a series of programs and events highlighting the history and meaning of the First Amendment.
Join us live on Friday, December 15, to celebrate the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. Participants can test their First Amendment knowledge through interactive programs and trivia, join a live guided tour of our new First Amendment gallery, and meet historic figures who used the First Amendment to expand the meaning of “We the People.”
Online Programs
Live from the Museum: Parades, Prisons, and Protests
Friday, December 15 | 10 a.m. ET
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Join us live from our exhibit, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote, as we explore how suffragists used the First Amendment to secure voting rights. March in a suffrage parade, picket outside the White House gate, and hear the stories of women who were imprisoned for fighting for the right of the franchise.
Civic Stories: Bill of Rights Trivia
Friday, December 15 | 11 a.m. ET
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Celebrate the ratification of the Bill of Rights during our live trivia game! Do you know your rights? Which founder declared he would sooner chop off his right hand than sign the Constitution without a bill of rights? Not all of James Madison’s original proposals were accepted by the states! Find out which proposals didn’t make the cut.
Civic Stories: First Amendment Freedoms Featuring Historic Figures
Friday, December 15 | Noon ET
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The Constitution may have been written in 1787 by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but it has also been impacted by many people and events over the last 236 years. One of our best tools to facilitate change is through the First Amendment. During this special program, students will have the opportunity to meet Sojourner Truth, Benjamin Franklin, Dora Lewis, and William Penn and discover how they sought to expanded the vision of “We, the People.”
Constitution Class: First Amendment in the Founders' Library Featuring Tom Donnelly
Friday, December 15 | 1 p.m. ET
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Join National Constitution Center Chief Content Officer Tom Donnelly for a look at the First Amendment through history. Using selected documents from the new Founders’ Library, he will share how these primary sources shaped the First Amendment. He will also discuss his career as a historian and law professor, as well as answer questions from participants.
Programs at the Museum
Bill of Rights Trivia Game
10:45 a.m. | 1:45 p.m.
Do you know your rights? Which founder declared he would sooner chop off his right hand than sign the Constitution without a bill of rights? Not all of James Madison’s original proposals were accepted by the states! Find out which proposals didn’t make the cut.
Meet the Dissenters Tour
12:45 p.m. | 2:45 p.m.
Travel back to the final days of the Constitutional Convention and join the debate about whether to adopt a bill of rights. Listen to the arguments for and against including a list of rights and freedoms, learn about which rights were included, and uncover the ratification process. The tour includes the Center’s Constituting Liberty exhibit, which houses rare versions of America’s founding documents including a Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence, the first public printing of the Constitution, and a copy of the Bill of Rights.
First Amendment Scavenger Hunt
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Find the First Amendment! Pick up a First Amendment scavenger hunt card and explore the Center’s exhibits to find your freedoms! Learn about a time when you could be thrown in jail for criticizing the government. Students, what happens to your freedom of expression when you pass the schoolhouse gate? Try on a Supreme Court justice’s robe and decide a First Amendment case for yourself.
