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 December, we present a series of programs and events highlighting the history and meaning of the First Amendment.
Online Programs
Civic Stories: Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus
Friday, December 1 | Noon ET
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On the anniversary of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955, students are invited to learn more about this remarkable woman and how she used the First Amendment to fight for freedom and equality for all.
America’s Town Hall: From Spies to Leakers: The History of the Espionage Act
Monday, December 4 | 7 p.m. ET
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The Espionage Act of 1917, one of the most contentious statutes relating to the First Amendment, is back in the news following the indictment of former President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. What is the Espionage Act and how has it been used over time? Join legal scholar Heidi Kitrosser, author of Reclaiming Accountability: Transparency, Executive Power, and the U.S. Constitution, and political historian Sam Lebovic, author of State of Silence: The Espionage Act and the Rise of America’s Secrecy Regime, to explore the origins, history, and constitutional legacy of this World War I-era law. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Live from the Museum: The First Amendment
Tuesday, December 5 | Noon ET
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Students can join a museum educator for a virtual tour of the National Constitution Center’s newest gallery, The First Amendment. Protecting some of our most cherished freedoms—religious liberty, free speech, a free press, the freedom of assembly, and the right to petition—the First Amendment is a pillar of democracy and the American way of life. The gallery offers a fresh perspective on the history of the First Amendment and how it affects us today.
Civic Stories: Four Harriets of History
Wednesday, December 6 | Noon ET
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On the anniversary of the 13th Amendment’s ratification, students will explore the lives of four American women—Harriet Robinson Scott, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Jacobs, and Harriet Beecher Stowe—who confronted slavery through literature, lawsuits, and direct action in their efforts to free themselves and others from bondage.
Civic Stories: Road to Freedom: History of Slavery in America
Wednesday, December 6 | 2 p.m. ET
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On the anniversary of the 13th Amendment’s ratification, students will uncover the history of slavery in the United States through a constitutional lens, taking learners on a journey from the time of the Constitutional Convention to the start of the Civil War. It spotlights historic figures—like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ona Judge, Angelina Grimke, Harriet Tubman, William Still, and Abraham Lincoln—and key events—such as the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott case, and the secession of the South.
Civic Stories: Nothing About Us Without Us
Friday, December 8 | Noon ET
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Discover how the disabled community has used the First Amendment’s right to petition to fight for their inclusion. Learn about the formation of The Arc, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and more.
Civic Stories: Pride and Protest
Tuesday, December 12 | Noon ET
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Learn how members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the United States fought for their inclusion by exercising their First Amendment rights to assembly and speech. As activist Harvey Milk once said, “rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.”
The Bill of Rights Day
Friday, December 15
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 and 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 with 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.
