Over Thanksgiving weekend, the National Constitution Center marks the holiday with a variety of special programs and activities. Explore the history of this national holiday and learn about the Wampanoag people who lived in what is now New England, as well as the historic meal they shared with European settlers in 1621 and the events leading up to the harvest feast that year.
Note: The National Constitution Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23.
*Check daily program guide upon arrival for showtimes.
Friday, November 24 | 1:45 p.m.; F.M. Kirby Auditorium
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Did you know President George Washington declared the first national day of Thanksgiving…in honor of the Constitution? At this special talk with Robert Strauss, author of Worst. President. Ever.: James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents, learn more about the role that our nation’s presidents have played in shaping the Thanksgiving holiday.
Learn about the Wampanoag people who lived in what is now New England, and the historic meal they shared with European settlers in 1621. We’ll explore more about the Wampanoag and their culture, the events leading up to the harvest feast that year, and what food would have been eaten (it may surprise you). Students will learn about the roles presidents have played in creating the Thanksgiving holiday as well as popular Thanksgiving traditions, including the presidential turkey pardon.
What intellectual sources did the founders use when drafting the Constitution? Join us as we examine the influence Indigenous peoples and tribal governments like the Iroquois Confederacy had on the founders and the ideas enshrined in the Constitution.
Travel back in time to the 17th century to see how the Wampanoag people made their own toys. Join us for a corn husk doll workshop, discover how the Wampanoag children learned through play, and create your own corn husk doll to take home.
Stop by our activity tables to explore a map of the United States before it was the United States. Discover more about the land and its inhabitants that called it home long before the founders.
The languages spoken by native peoples are as diverse as the people themselves. Learn some words and phrases in Lenape/Delaware, the language spoken by the Lenape peoples who once inhabited the very land on which the Center sits.
Learn the real story of the first Thanksgiving and find out more about the Indigenous peoples who lived in what is now New England. This episode discusses the foods of the early Thanksgiving dinner and how the day was made a national holiday during the Civil War.
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In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, join experts Maggie Blackhawk of New York University School of Law; Donald Grinde, Jr. of the University at Buffalo and co-author of Exemplar of Liberty: Native America and the Evolution of Democracy; Gregory Dowd of the University of Michigan; and Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina and author of Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution, for a conversation exploring the influence of Indigenous people and tribal governments on the U.S. Constitution and American democracy, from before the Revolution to today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Listen to the episode on We the People
Last November, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Haaland v. Brackeen, a case challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act. Passed by Congress in 1978, ICWA establishes standards for the adoption of Native American children, by stipulating a preference that they be placed with extended family members or other Native American families. Opponents of ICWA say that exceeds Congress’ powers and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, by imposing unconstitutional race-based classifications and discriminating against non-Native American foster parents. Defenders of ICWA say the distinctions the law draw between Native and non-Native Americans are political, rather than racial, because tribes are political entities; and that the law helps protect tribal sovereignty and the cultural heritage of Native American children. Timothy Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation and Elizabeth Reese of Stanford Law join Jeffrey Rosen to recap the arguments in the case and discuss the future of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Listen to the episode on We the People
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act, which marked the end of a long debate and struggle, at a federal level, over full birthright citizenship for American Indians.
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