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Civic Holidays

First Amendment Day

Date
Wednesday, September 9
Time
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
price
Free Admission

Join the National Constitution Center and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for the inaugural First Amendment Day, a new annual celebration inviting visitors of all ages to explore the five freedoms of the First Amendment through conversation, creativity, history, and hands-on experiences. Enjoy free admission and a full day of special programming that brings the First Amendment to life through engaging gallery tours, guided walking tours throughout Philadelphia’s Historic District, a keynote conversation exploring the relationship between the First Amendment and Artificial Intelligence, and our interactive Free Expression creative studio. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning to discover something new, First Amendment Day offers meaningful ways for visitors of all ages to explore, reflect, create, and engage with the Constitution.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation logo

First Amendment Day, including free museum admission and special First Amendment-themed programming, is made possible through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Reserve Tickets

Advance registration is strongly recommended.

 
The First Amendment and Artificial Intelligence

The First Amendment and Artificial Intelligence

1:15 p.m.
In person and online
Join us for a special keynote conversation examining the intersection of the First Amendment and artificial intelligence. Technology and constitutional scholar Jonathan Zittrain and Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School Ellen Goodman will examine how constitutional values can help guide emerging technologies and what the future of free expression looks like in the digital age. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, will moderate.

Register to attend online

Register to attend in person

First Amendment Gallery Tours

Discover the stories behind the freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition on special guided tours led by National Constitution Center educators. Journey through the museum to explore how abolitionists, suffragists, journalists, students, civil rights leaders, and countless everyday Americans have exercised their First Amendment freedoms to shape our nation's history—and continue to shape our democracy today.

First Amendment Freedoms
First Amendment Freedoms

10:45 a.m., The First Amendment
Discover the stories behind the freedoms of the First Amendment. Explore how these rights continue to shape civic life and public debate today.

Debate and Dissent
Debate and Dissent

11:45 a.m., Signers’ Hall
Step into Signers’ Hall to discover how spirited debate and the free exchange of ideas shaped the Constitutional Convention. Learn how dissent laid the blueprint for a Bill of Rights.

Founding Voices
Founding Voices

12:45 p.m., America’s Founding
Explore how speeches, pamphlets, and public debate fueled the American Revolution. See how the power of ideas helped launch a new nation.

First Amendment in the Civil War Era
First Amendment in the Civil War Era

1:45 p.m., Civil War and Reconstruction
Discover how abolitionists used the First Amendment to challenge injustice. Explore the enduring connection between free expression and pursuit of equality.

Voices for Change
Voices for Change

2:45 p.m., The 19th Amendment
Follow the story of the suffrage movement through the lens of free speech, peaceful assembly, and petition and learn how generations of suffragists used the First Amendment to expand access to the ballot.

Additional First Amendment Activities

Free Expression Studio
Free Expression Studio

10 a.m. - 5 p.m., DeVos Hall
Express your own voice in our interactive maker space. Create posters, editorial cartoons, buttons, collages, protest signs, and other works inspired by the stories and ideas you encounter throughout the museum. Visitors of all ages are invited to discover how creativity and civic participation go hand in hand.

First Amendment Sparks
First Amendment Sparks

10 a.m. - 5 p.m., DeVos Hall
Step inside our Civic Spark Studio to reflect on a moment when you exercised one of the five freedoms, witnessed the First Amendment in action, or were inspired by the power of free expression. Your story will become part of a growing collection celebrating how constitutional freedoms shape everyday civic life.

First Amendment Walking Tour

First Amendment Walking Tour

10:15 a.m., 3:15 p.m., and 3:45 p.m., Tours will begin in the Kenneth C. Griffin Great Hall Lobby
Continue the experience beyond the museum with the debut of the National Constitution Center’s Constitutional Walking Tour Series. Visit Historic Philadelphia sites where generations of Americans gathered, published ideas, petitioned their government, and advocated for change, revealing how the First Amendment has shaped the city—and the nation—for more than two centuries.

Register now