Recent reporting and testimony from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen have amplified calls for regulation on social media platforms. Watch this 2 minute video as President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and MSNBC's Ali Velshi discuss if any of the proposed reforms are constitutional or legal. | |
Debate at America's Town Hall
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Black Women, Representation, and the Constitution
Tuesday, November 9 | 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
With the passage of the 19th and 15th Amendments more than 100 years ago, African American women’s suffrage became part of the Constitution. Yet the history of the struggle for Black women’s suffrage and representation is lesser known and is still developing today. Join Nadia Brown, professor of government and chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Georgetown University and Idol Family Fellow at the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute at Villanova University; Bettye Collier-Thomas, professor of history at Temple University and co-editor of African American Women and the Vote, 1837–1965; and Martha Jones, Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and professor of history at Johns Hopkins University and author of Vanguard, for a discussion on the history of Black women in America’s representative democracy, including their roles as suffrage advocates, voters, and representatives, from Sojourner Truth to Shirley Chisholm. Lana Ulrich, senior director of content at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program is made possible through the generous support of the McNulty Foundation in partnership with the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership at Villanova University and as part of the Center’s Women and the Constitution initiative.
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Native Americans and the Constitution
Friday, November 19 | 11 a.m. ET
Free Online
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.
This program is made possible with support from TD Bank.
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Does the Presidency Need Reform?
Monday, November 22 | 12 p.m. ET
Free Online
As part of their ongoing conversations about how to restore the guardrails of American democracy, the National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University present a conversation exploring the role of the president in our constitutional system. Experts Jessica Bulman-Pozen, law professor at Columbia Law School, Saikrishna Prakash, law professor and author of The Living Presidency: An Originalist Argument Against Its Ever-Expanding Powers, Stephen Skowronek, political scientist at Yale University, and others discuss the original conception of presidential power and its expansion over time; and provide their take on what reforms, if any, may be necessary. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program is part of the Renewing the Republic series, presented in partnership with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University as part of the National Constitution Center's Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative, and made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and Mike and Jackie Bezos.
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Lincoln's Speeches and the Refounding of America
Tuesday, November 30 | 7 p.m. ET
Free Online
Michael Burlingame, author of The Black Man’s President: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Equality; Noah Feldman, author of The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America; and Diana Schaub, author of His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation, take a deep dive into the timeless speeches of one of America’s greatest presidents to reveal Lincoln’s constitutional vision and how his vision changed the course of the Constitution and American history. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
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Learn about the Constitution | |
Election Season at the National Constitution Center
Join the National Constitution Center this election season as we explore the ins and outs of American elections from a constitutional angle. Our live online classes will explore questions like: How do elections work in our country? Where did that process come from? And who could (and could not) participate in elections at different points in history?
Learning About National Elections
Week of November 1
On Friday, November 5 at 1 p.m., Michael T. Morley, associate professor at Florida State University College of Law, joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion on elections in America. Register here
Voting Rights Amendments
Week of November 8
On Friday, November 12 at 1 p.m., Jamelle Bouie—The New York Times columnist and political analyst for CBS News covering campaigns, elections, national affairs, and culture—will explore the history of the right to vote in America and answer audience questions. Register here
Plus, we offer a great catalog of online resources to help you explore these topics! Units for election season include:
All are welcome to join our free live classes available on Zoom. Join us for introductory and advanced sessions every Wednesday, with guest scholars joining the sessions at 1 p.m. on Fridays.
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Veterans Day
Thursday, November 11 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
In honor of Veterans Day, the National Constitution Center will recognize the dedication and sacrifices of the brave men and women who have answered the Constitution’s call to “provide for the common defense.”
Activities include letter writing stations, the Center's annual Veterans Day Wreath Laying Ceremony, and a special Veteran Chat with author and Vietnam veteran John Campbell. A native of Glassboro, NJ, Campbell’s book They Were Ours: Gloucester County's Loss in Vietnam, uses wartime letters to tell the story of soldiers from New Jersey.
| Museum admission will be free for military veterans on November 11. | |
Thanksgiving Weekend
November 26 - 28
Over Thanksgiving Weekend, visitors to the National Constitution Center will explore the origins of this national holiday, and learn about the Wampanoag people who lived in what is now New England.
Note: The National Constitution Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27.
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Patriotism and Dissent in America
America's Town Hall | Run time: 59 minutes
Steven Smith of Yale University, Allen Guelzo of Princeton University, and Sophia Rosenfeld of University of Pennsylvania joined moderator Jeffrey Rosen to explore some of the key episodes of patriotism and dissent throughout American history—from the Revolution through the Founding and the Civil War to today. Watch now
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Federalism and Separation of Powers Featuring Christopher Brooks
Constitution 101 Class | Run time: 43 minutes
Dr. Christopher Brooks, professor of history at East Stroudsburg University, joined Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion on separation of powers, checks and balances, and Federalism. Dr. Brooks also talked about his career as a writer and legal scholar. Watch now
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Is There a Constitutional Right to Concealed Carry?
We the People Podcast | Run time: 1 hour 4 minutes
On this week’s episode, host Jeffrey Rosen is joined by two legal scholars who filed briefs on opposing sides of the New York State Rifle in Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen case—Judge J. Michael Luttig who filed in support of Bruen, and David Kopel who filed in support of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. They detail the arguments they made in their briefs as well as what’s at stake in this case, and debate how to interpret the text, history, and meaning of the Second Amendment in light of whether the Court should uphold the New York law. Listen now
The Biden Supreme Court Commission
We the People Podcast | Run time: 52 minutes
Two of the scholars who testified before the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court—Jamal Greene of Columbia Law School and Michael McConnell of Stanford Law School—join host Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the Commission, which reforms they are evaluating have bipartisan support and might be achievable, and whether they can and should be enacted. Listen now
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A Second Amendment sequel premieres next week in the U.S. Supreme Court
Constitution Daily blog | Read time: 6 minutes
With the Mississippi and Texas abortion cases on the docket now, the U.S. Supreme Court’s current term will be defined by what the justices decide on abortion. But those cases should not totally eclipse others on the docket with major significance for the law and for Americans. ... Read more
The Louisiana Purchase: Jefferson’s constitutional gamble
Constitution Daily blog | Read time: 4 minutes
On October 20, 1803, the Senate ratified a treaty with France, promoted by President Thomas Jefferson, that doubled the size of the United States. But was Jefferson empowered to make that $15 million deal under the Constitution? ... Read more
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