Throughout Women’s History Month, the Center is recognizing extraordinary American women throughout the nation’s history.
Special Events at the Museum
Wawa Community Day Honoring Women’s History Month
Saturday, March 26, regular museum hours
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Wawa and the National Constitution Center are teaming up to offer visitors a free Wawa Community Day Honoring Women’s History Month, on Saturday, March 26. Admission to the National Constitution Center will be free thanks to the generosity of Wawa.
Daily Programs at the Museum
In March, visitors to the National Constitution Center can commemorate Women’s History Month by viewing our newest exhibit, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. This exhibit traces the triumphs and struggles that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, and features some of the many women who transformed constitutional history—including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, and Ida B. Wells—and allows visitors to better understand the long fight for women’s suffrage.
The 3,000-square-foot exhibit features nearly 100 artifacts, including a rare printing of the Declaration of Sentiments from the first women’s convention at Seneca Falls, a ballot box used to collect women’s votes in the late 1800s, Pennsylvania’s ratification copy of the 19th Amendment, as well as various “Votes for Women” ephemera.
Additional programs include:
- “Four Harriets” Program
Visitors can 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. - Women’s History Month Exhibit Highlights
Visitors can pick up a special Women’s History Month brochure designed to facilitate a self-guided tour of the museum, focusing on rare artifacts.
Live Online Programs
The National Constitution Center’s online educational classes in March will explore the civil rights movement, women’s right to vote, the Constitutional Convention, and more, featuring a great line up of women scholars.
The Civil Rights Movement Featuring Ashley D. Farmer
March 4
In this Friday session, Ashley D. Farmer, associate professor in the departments of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, joins Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, for a conversation on the civil rights movement with a particular focus on the role of Black women in the civil rights and Black Power eras, a topic Dr. Farmer discusses in her book Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era. Dr. Farmer will also discuss her career as an author and historian, and answer questions from participants.
- Register for All Levels Class Mar. 4 at 1 p.m. ET
- Watch all sessions live on YouTube here
Tour of The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote
Tuesday, March 8, 12 p.m. ET Register Here
Commemorate Women’s History Month with a virtual tour of our newest exhibit, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. A National Constitution Center museum educator will lead virtual audiences on a LIVE guided tour that will help viewers to better understand the long fight for women’s suffrage, and will also highlight some of the many women who transformed constitutional history.
19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Vote
Week of March 7
In this session, students will trace the roots of the women’s rights movement—from early reform efforts in the 1800s to the ultimate decision to pursue voting rights. This class will explore the constitutional arguments over women’s suffrage, study the historical context of the fight for suffrage over 70 years, and cover the tactics suffragists used to persuade state legislatures and the national government to recognize voting rights for women.
- Register for Introductory Level Class Mar. 9 at 12 p.m. ET
- Register for Advanced Level Class Mar. 9 at 2 p.m. ET
- Watch all sessions live on YouTube here
19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Vote Featuring Martha S. Jones
March 11
In this Fun Friday Session, Martha S. Jones, Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and Professor of History at The Johns Hopkins University, joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion on the 19th Amendment, with a focus on voting rights of African American women, a topic which professor Jones explores in her newest book, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. Professor Jones will also discuss her career as an author and historian, as well as answer questions from participants.
- Register for All Levels Class Mar. 11 at 1 p.m. ET
- Watch all sessions live on YouTube here
Constitution 101: The Constitutional Convention Featuring Jill Lepore
Friday, March 18, 1 p.m. ET
In this Fun Friday Session, Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and writer for The New Yorker, joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion on the issues and events in early America that led to the Constitutional Convention. We will also explore the major debates at the Convention, and how those discussions shaped the future of the United States. Lepore will also discuss her career as a writer and historian, as well as answer questions from participants.
- Register for All Levels Class Mar. 18 at 1 p.m. ET
- Watch all sessions live on YouTube here
Class Takeover: Benjamin Franklin – Featuring Ken Burns and Erica Armstrong Dunbar
March 30
Filmmaker Ken Burns and historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar join us for a discussion of Benjamin Franklin, a new documentary that explores the life of the scientist, inventor, writer, diplomat, and signer of Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The conversation, moderated by Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, will examine Franklin’s pivotal role at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, as well as explore his work as a printer, a scientist, and an abolitionist. Students will also have the opportunity to view special sneak peeks from the documentary prior to the program, and discuss the importance of storytelling with the panelists.
- Register for All Levels Class March 30 at 12 p.m. ET
- Watch all sessions live on YouTube here
Educational Resources
Interactive Constitution: Classroom Edition Learning Materials
Each collection of Learning Materials on our Interactive Constitution: Classroom Edition contains video lessons and recordings of previous Scholar Exchanges, plus links to podcasts, blog posts, Interactive Constitution essays, and more. Great topics for Women’s History Month include:
The 19th Amendment: Women Fight for Rights (1848-1877): A Google Arts and Culture Exhibit
This online exhibit mirrors the first section of the National Constitution Center's exhibit, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote. In this first installment of a three-part series, discover how the early women's movement formed and later divided over race and tactics after the Civil War. Trace the movement through the Reconstruction era, as women experimented with new strategies to secure the ballot.
Exhibit Sneak Peek Videos: The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote
Watch as the National Constitution Center staff take you behind the scenes for a special look inside our newest exhibit exploring the women’s suffrage movement, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote.
Watch all video highlights:
- Introduction
- Section One: Fighting For Rights
- Seneca Falls Convention
- Section Two: Changing Tactics
- Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage Ephemera Wall
- 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession
- Ratification of the 19th Amendment and the Continuing Fight
You can also explore some of the interactive displays featured in the exhibit, now available on our website:
- Interactive Map Tool: Timeline of Women’s Suffrage by State
- Interactive Primary Source Tool: Historic Debates For and Against Suffrage
Theatrical Performances:
The Women of Reconstruction
In this three-part clip from FOURTEEN: A Theatrical Performance, a performer embodying notable women from the reconstruction period, including Susie King Taylor, Harriet Jacobs, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, reads excerpts from their letters and speeches.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: The Great Problem to be Solved
In this clip, actress Natajia Sconiers portrays abolitionist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, reciting Harper’s speech, The Great Problem to Be Solved, performed in the National Constitution Center’s Civil War and Reconstruction exhibit.
More Videos:
2020 Liberty Medal Honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The National Constitution Center awarded the 32nd annual Liberty Medal to the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, for her efforts to advance liberty and equality for all. To celebrate Justice Ginsburg, the Center aired a video tribute featuring performances by internationally renowned opera singers and tributes from special friends of Justice Ginsburg. The video, which premiered on September 17, 2020, Constitution Day, and was produced by NBCUniversal, is also available on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, as well as Xfinity On Demand.
RBG in Song: An Evening with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg featuring a Special Performance
Patrice Michaels, composer/soprano/creator and daughter-in law of Justice Ginsburg, music director Kuang-Hao Huang, pianist Andrew Harley, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, and a cappella ensemble Capital Hearings give a special performance of “THE LONG VIEW: A Portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Nine Songs.” The 40-minute song cycle illuminates key aspects of Justice Ginsburg’s personal and professional life through letters, remembrances, conversations, and court opinions to reveal a life dedicated to justice and convey the important relationship between the Supreme Court and the Constitution. Following the performance, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss his new book, Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty and Law—an informal portrait of the Justice through an extraordinary series of conversations, starting in the 1990s and continuing to today. They also reflect on the performance that preceded the discussion.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life
Historian, author, and National Constitution Center Member Lori Ginzberg joins the Center's Senior Director of Content Lana Ulrich and Exhibit Developer Elena Popchock to discuss her book, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life―a critical and admiring look at Stanton's mixed legacy that continues to haunt American feminism. The event will begin with a discussion with Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and Elena Popchock to discuss the Center's forthcoming exhibit, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote.
Women Leading Change: From Voting Rights Onward
A part of the National Constitution Center’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, this conversation explores the legacy of the amendment that secured women the right to vote. National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and Exhibit Developer Elena Popchock discuss the Center's 19th Amendment exhibit, and then Lauren Leader of All in Together moderates a conversation with former Congresswomen Melissa A. Hart, New York Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul, and Donna F. Edwards about how we can continue the unfinished work of women’s suffrage.
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton: The Book of Gutsy Women
Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, join the National Constitution Center for an unveiling of their new book, The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience. The Clintons share the stories of the women who have inspired them throughout history and around the globe. Joy Reid, MSNBC political analyst and host of AM Joy, moderates. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, provides welcome remarks.
Podcasts:
Blog Articles:
- Will the Equal Rights Amendment Be Adopted?
- Why is August 26 Known as Women’s Equality Day?
- The Vote That Led to the 19th Amendment
- On This Day, the 19th Amendment Joins the Constitution
- On This Day, the Seneca Falls Convention Begins
19th Amendment on the Interactive Constitution:
- Text of the 19th Amendment
- Common Interpretation
- Matters of Debate: Did the 19th Amendment Modify the 14th?
- Matters of Debate: What the 14th and 19th Amendments Changed for Women
