The Powers of the President

Live from the Museum: Japanese American National Museum

Wednesday, February 14 | Noon ET

Run time: 30 minutes

In February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Join the National Constitution Center in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum to learn about how Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and placed in concentration camps during WWII. Through analysis of artwork and artifacts from JANM's collection, gain a deeper understanding of how quickly people's rights, and the Constitution, were violated in a time of fear and wartime hysteria.

Image credit: Japanese American National Museum (Gift of Mine Okubo Estate, 2007.62.27)

Civic Stories: The Road to the White House

Friday, February 16 | Noon ET

Run time: 20 minutes

Live ASL Interpretation Available

Get your stump speeches ready! Join our presidential parties and platforms program to learn about the road to the White House. Discover the ins and outs of the executive branch, design your campaign plan, and carry out the duties of the presidency.

Civic Stories: Step Inside the White House

Friday, February 16 | 1 p.m. ET

Run time: 30 minutes

Live ASL Interpretation Available

Ever wondered why the White House is white? Or why the Oval Office is oval? Perhaps you may have even heard of a pet raccoon at the White House? Or a pony prancing past the president’s bedroom? Join educators from the White House Historical Association for a look inside the halls and history of the White House. 

Optional Prework: 

Explore the virtual and video tours of the White House, and use the accompanying Digital Student Notebooks to enhance learning. Building a basic knowledge of the White House before the program—or taking the time to explore these after—will add greater context to some of the stories and information shared. The White House Historical Association also offers a wide range of K-12 education resources that are available for free online. 

Live from the Museum: Presidential Portraits

Tuesday, February 20 | 2 p.m. ET

Run time: 30 minutes

Test your executive branch knowledge as one of our museum educators leads viewers through our collection of presidential portraits. Uncover the roles of the executive, play presidential trivia, and discover the stories of the men in the White House.

Professional Learning for Educators

The 14th Amendment and the Battle for Freedom and Equality Featuring Valinda Littlefield

Wednesday, February 21 | 6:30–8 p.m. ET

During this session, participants will explore the 14th Amendment and the battles for equality in America. Educators will examine the clauses of the 14th Amendment and the battle over their meaning from Reconstruction to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges. We will also explore America’s first and second civil rights movements, the Constitution and women, and modern interpretations of the 14th Amendment. Professor Valinda Littlefield of the University of South Carolina joins us. 

More from the National Constitution Center

National Constitution Center Announces Julie Silverbrook to Serve as New Vice President of Civic Education

The National Constitution Center is excited to welcome Julie Silverbrook to #NCCed! In her role, Silverbrook will oversee the NCC’s national civic education external relations and national distribution efforts for the Center’s landmark Constitution 101 curriculum in high schools as well as its upcoming middle school version. She will also oversee the development of educational programming and the growth and cultivation of the NCC’s teacher network, including the Center’s Summer Teacher Institutes, the Constitutional Fellows program, Teacher Advisory Board, and Teacher Advisory Council.

Silverbrook most recently served as senior director of partnerships and constitutional scholar in residence at iCivics, the nonpartisan civic education nonprofit founded by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. From 2012-2020, she ran the Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) in Washington, D.C., as its executive director. Learn more

The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book Launch and Conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg

Monday, February 19 | 6:30 p.m. ET

This Presidents Day, join National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen as he launches his new book at the NCC in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, in The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America. Rosen offers a fascinating examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy.

This program is in partnership with The Atlantic.

Thank you for being part of our community of educators. If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you. Please email the education team at [email protected].

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