NEH Summer Institute

The five freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—free speech, a free press, religious liberty, assembly, and petition—go to the heart of who we are as Americans and human beings. Many of our most intense national debates and landmark Supreme Court cases have centered on defining these freedoms, including who gets to exercise them and how.

The “Exploring the First Amendment” institutes will consider the development of the First Amendment in Philadelphia, from William Penn’s founding of the Colony of Pennsylvania through the present day. Through immersive visits and lectures at key sites in Historic Philadelphia, participants will learn how Philadelphia’s tradition of honoring and testing the limits of speech, press, religion, and assembly was essential to the American founding and key to America’s future. Participants will further learn how the Philadelphia tradition of embodying the First Amendment through freedom of conscience helped forge a new, and then-uniquely American culture—one that profoundly honors the freedom to think, act, and live according to the dictates of one’s conscience.

Session One:

Sunday, July 14–Friday, July 19

Session Two:

Sunday, July 21–Friday, July 26

Programs are open to educators working with grades 5 – 12 at public, charter, independent, parochial, and other schools. They are free to attend, but successful applications are required, and funding is often available to cover a significant portion of travel and lodging expenses for the in-person weeklong institutes. 

Learn more about the institute here. The Education Team will send more information in the coming weeks.

Please email any questions you might have about the overall institute, the application process, or logistical concerns to [email protected]  A member of the Center’s education team will respond in a timely manner with a response to your question.

The National Constitution Center is committed to making its facilities, exhibits, and programs accessible for all audiences.

Accessibility at the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center Summer Institute 2024 has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.