Debate at America’s Town Hall
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Thomas Paine and the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense
Wednesday, January 7 | Noon ET
Gary Berton, the president of The Thomas Paine Historical Association, joins award-winning historian Jack Kelly, author of Tom Paine’s War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder of Our Time, to discuss the revolutionary life, ideas, and legacy of Thomas Paine in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his famous pamphlet, Common Sense.
Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Learn more
| | This program is generously sponsored by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers. | |
The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution
Tuesday, January 20 | Noon ET
Legal scholar William Ewald joins Jesse Wegman of The New York Times to discuss Wegman’s new book, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution, which explores the influence and legacy of forgotten founder and Supreme Court Justice James Wilson.
Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Learn more
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 19 | All Day
FREE ADMISSION
The National Constitution Center honors Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s lifelong dedication to justice, equality, education, and service for the greater good. Join us for educational programs and immersive performances that discuss and teach about Dr. King’s enduring legacy. Come learn, create, donate, and celebrate with us! Admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is free. Learn more
| | Learn About the Constitution | |
A Constitutional Look at Native Sovereignty and Citizenship
Help students uncover one of the most vital—and often overlooked—threads in American constitutional history: the fight for Native sovereignty and the meaning of citizenship.
The newest edition of Constitution in the Headlines draws on the National Constitution Center’s recent America’s Town Hall program with historian Kathleen DuVal to illuminate how Native nations asserted self-government, navigated federal power, and fought for constitutional equality across the 19th and 20th centuries. Learn more
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National Constitution Center to Open “America’s Founding” Gallery on Presidents Day Weekend 2026
The National Constitution Center will debut its newest permanent gallery, America’s Founding, over Presidents Day weekend, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary year with a dynamic, interactive exploration of the American Revolution and the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“Opening to the public on Friday, February 13, 2026, for a special Presidents Day opening weekend, America’s Founding takes visitors on a journey from the colonies’ growing tensions with Great Britain through the drafting, ratification, and adoption of the Bill of Rights. The gallery brings this pivotal era to life through rare artifacts, immersive environments, and digital interactives that reveal how the founding generation defined—and debated—the principles of liberty, equality, and government by consent. …” Read more
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William F. Buckley and the History of American Conservatism
Run time: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Matthew Continetti, author of The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism, joins prize-winning biographer Sam Tanenhaus to discuss Tanenhaus’s new book, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America, and to trace American conservatism’s evolution from the Progressive Era, through the rise of William F. Buckley Jr., to today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Watch now
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The Constitutional Legacy of Justice Robert Jackson
Run time: 58 minutes
John Q. Barrett, discoverer and editor of Robert H. Jackson’s acclaimed book That Man: An Insider’s Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt and writer of the popular blog The Jackson List, joins author and constitutional scholar Gerard Magliocca, author of The Actual Art of Governing: Justice Robert H. Jackson’s Concurring Opinion in the Steel Seizure Case, and G. Edward White, author of Robert H. Jackson: A Life in Judgment, to discuss the Justice’s influential concurrence in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, his approach to constitutional interpretation, and the lasting legacy he left on debates over presidential power. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Watch now
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Amending the Constitution and the Article V Project
Run time: 58 minutes
The National Constitution Center launches our Article V Project, a new initiative examining the founders’ vision for Article V and an historical look at the use of the Article V process from 1789 to the present. Project contributors and constitutional law scholars Gerard Magliocca, Sanford Levinson, Michael Rappaport, and Stephen Sachs explore the origins, debates, and ongoing challenges surrounding Article V, as presented in their new essays. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Listen now
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A look back at the Supreme Court in 2025
by Scott Bomboy | Read time: 5 minutes
“The past year was a significant one for the U.S. Supreme Court, with notable decisions related to the First Amendment, nationwide injunctions, and the 14th Amendment.
The court concluded its October Term 2024 on June 30, 2025 with Goldey v. Fields, a per curiam decision regarding Eighth Amendment protections for inmates making excessive force claims against prison officials. ... ” Read more
Roberts and Kagan have different visions of how democracy should work
by Marcia Coyle | Read time: 4 minutes
“Last week in the Texas re-redistricting case, the Supreme Court had the opportunity to slow or stop what has been called a race-to-the-bottom between Democratic led and Republican-led states over more seats for political advantage in the 2026 mid-term elections. Few court watchers were surprised that the Court’s conservative majority, as it did in 2019, refused to seize the opportunity. …” Read more
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