Learn about the text, history, and meaning of the U.S. Constitution from leading scholars of diverse legal and philosophical perspectives.

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Bringing Together Experts to Interpret the Constitution

How it Works:

We’ve invited the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society to nominate scholars to discuss every clause of the Constitution, exploring areas of agreement and disagreement about the Constitution’s text and history, how it’s been interpreted over time, and what it means today. For each major clause and amendment, we’ve added nonpartisan educational resources from the National Constitution Center, including videos, podcasts, blog posts, and The Drafting Table, a tool that allows users to explore early drafts of the constitutional text.

Common Interpretation

Common Interpretation

For each provision of the Constitution, scholars of different perspectives discuss areas of agreement.

Matters of Debate

Matters of Debate

The two scholars offer interpretations based on their divergent viewpoints.

About the Interactive Constitution

The Drafting Table

Explore key historical documents that inspired the Framers of the Constitution and each amendment during the drafting process, the early drafts and major proposals behind each provision, and discover how the drafters deliberated, agreed and disagreed, on the path to compromise and the final text.

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What's New in the Media Library

Our most recent videos, podcasts, and blog posts featuring legal scholars, historians, and others from diverse perspectives debating the constitutional issues of the day.

More of the Latest

Podcast

Slavery in America From the Constitution to Reconstruction With Eric Foner

Aug 4

Town Hall Video

2020 Annual Supreme Court Review

In partnership with ADL, the Center presents a discussion exploring the most important cases of the 2019-2020 term.

Aug 5

Blog Post

Blame Abraham Lincoln for the nation's first national Income Tax

Most people aren’t big fans of a national income tax, but it was on this day back in 1861 that the first one was levied by the…

Aug 5

Educational Video

The Black Codes: A Clip from FOURTEEN

In this clip from FOURTEEN performers share sections of the Black Codes from the Reconstruction era and the response of African…

The Constitution in the Classroom

The National Constitution Center brings innovative teaching tools to your classroom. Our unique approach to constitutional education emphasizes historical storytelling, constitutional rather than political questions and the habits of civil dialogue and reflection.

Learn More
  • Classroom Exchanges
  • Constitutional Ambassadors

    constitutioncenter.org
  • Professional Development Opportunities

From the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling our congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.”