Upcoming Scholar Exchanges | |
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Constitution 101: The Constitutional Convention
Introductory: Wednesday, March 16, 12 p.m. ET
Advanced: Wednesday, March 16, 2 p.m. ET
Examine the issues and events that led to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, including the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, Shay’s Rebellion, and the growing need for a new national government. Students will also explore the Convention, and its major turning points and compromises.
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Constitution 101: The Constitutional Convention Featuring Jill Lepore
All-level: Friday, March 18, 1 p.m. ET
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.
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Mark Your Calendars!
Class Takeover: Benjamin Franklin – Featuring Ken Burns and Erica Armstrong Dunbar
All-level: Wednesday, March 30, 12 p.m. ET
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. Presented in partnership with PBS.
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MORE CIVIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Register for a Peer-to-Peer Scholar Exchange
Schedule your class to join peer-to-peer exchange, which allows your students to engage in constitutional topics with scholars in a smaller group to improve constitutional understanding. The goal is to promote deeper understanding and enhance opportunities for civil discourse and discussion. Having constitutional conversations outside the walls of the classroom is essential for an active and engaged citizenry.
Topics for March include Battles for Equality in America: The 14th Amendment, Voting Rights Amendments, and the Fourth Amendment.
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Celebrating Women's History Month | |
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Throughout Women’s History Month, the Center is recognizing extraordinary American women throughout the nation’s history. Register for some of our upcoming virtual programs on women's fight for equality throughout history.
The Revolutionary Life of Mercy Otis Warren
This episode of the We the People podcast profiles Mercy Otis Warren—a trailblazing woman who was one of the leading thinkers of America’s Revolutionary and founding period. A poet, playwright, and pamphleteer—Warren’s ideas influenced John, Abigail, and Samuel Adams as well as Alexander Hamilton and others, and even helped shape the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Host Jeffrey Rosen was joined by two biographers of Warren, Nancy Rubin Stuart, author of The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation, and Rosemarie Zagarri, author of A Woman's Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution.
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The Agitators and the Women's Fight
Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor at The New Yorker and author of the new book The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights, and Thavolia Glymph, Duke University historian and author of the book The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, discuss the early days of the abolition movement and the fight for women’s rights, the complicated relationship between the two movements, and heroes like Harriet Tubman who emerged through both. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
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First Amendment: Speech and Press
Wednesday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET
Participants will examine the historical context and the drafting of the First Amendment—focusing especially on the factors motivating America’s founding generation. We will also examine various types of speech, including symbolic speech, hate speech, and political speech, and look at how those definitions have been applied throughout history. We will explore modern court cases that impact students’ lives directly and discuss meaningful ways to include students in the broader conversation about free speech in schools and with technology.
The National Constitution Center is excited to host this series in partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Sessions are open to all educators nationwide.
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We offer year-round professional development opportunities and ways to engage with our educator community. Learn more | |
Support the Center
In honor of the 234th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, every dollar you give toward the We the People podcast will be doubled with a generous 1:1 match up to a total of $234,000, made possible by the John Templeton Foundation.
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