Celebrate Constitution Day!
All events are FREE with museum admission
America Reads the Constitution
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
This year, our America Reads the Constitution event will focus on Americans in Service. Individuals who serve the nation in a variety of capacities will be asked to read the Preamble to the Constitution. Invited readers include embassy officials in Kabul, Afghanistan and students and teachers from Constitution High School.
Virtual Field Trip: Signing the Constitution
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
Classrooms around the country can join the National Constitution Center via live webcast for a special demonstration in Signers’ Hall about the signing of the Constitution. Participants will also learn more about the Center’s new virtual field trip program. Educators can register to join the event on the Constitution Center’s website.
Click here on September 17 by 8:45 a.m.
to join the virtual field trip of Signers' Hall.
Please sign in as a "Guest" simply by typing in a screen name or your real name.
I Signed the Giant Constitution
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sign an 8ft. x 6ft. copy of the Constitution in the Center's Main Lobby throughout the day
We, the People Audio Tour
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please ask the Box Office staff upon arrival for availability
A tour highlighting the great artifacts, interactives and speakers found in the Center's main exhibition, The Story of We the People.
What’s Now, What’s Next? by David Bradley
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
What’s Now, What’s Next?, written by Philadelphia-based theater artist David Bradley, was commissioned by Scholastic, Inc. and the National Constitution Center as part of a project exploring youth civic engagement. The play tells the story of three young people: 12-year-old Lisa, an earnest girl getting her first taste of activism; her long-time friend Maya, busy navigating the complicated social network of adolescence; and Lisa’s 18-year-old brother Greg, who is carrying both extra burdens at home since his dad was laid off and a healthy cynicism about civic life. When Lisa’s chance to speak at a big school district meeting on environmental issues is threatened by the conflicting demands of family, the three end up on a surprising journey that leads to big discoveries about what it means to take responsibility and stand up for what you believe.
Naturalization Ceremony
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 2:00 p.m.
The public is invited to observe a naturalization ceremony, during which dozens of foreign-born people will take the Oath of Citizenship to officially become citizens of the United States. The Honorable Cynthia M. Rufe, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, will preside over the ceremony.
Preamble Printing and Calligraphy Demonstrations
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Guests can visit the Center’s old-fashioned print shop, complete with a replica printing press from the 1700s, where they can print a copy of the Preamble in the same way Claypool and Dunlap did when they printed the Constitution. Visitors can also join in a calligraphy demonstration and learn the Copperplate printing technique used to sign the Constitution.
Constitution Celebration!
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Visitors can learn about the three branches of government through the Balance of Powers Demonstration and the Separation of Powers Show; learn about the Pennsylvania Packet printing of the Constitution during the Decoding the Document Workshop; participate in the Articles of the Confederation to Constitution Demonstration; join in the Preamble Scramble; and learn more about the leadership styles of the founding fathers in the Leadership Tour of Signers’ Hall.
Constitution Birthday Party!
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 12:00 p.m.
Visitors can join the Center as we celebrate the birthday of the Constitution, compete with cake! Guest will also get a chance to decide whether or not to sign a giant copy of the Constitution.
Induction of Harvey Milk to the American National Tree
Wednesday, September 17, 2009, 1:00 p.m.
The Constitution Center, in partnership with Scholastic Inc. and the M.R. Robinson Family Fund, selected high school student Sammi Massey to author the biography of Harvey Milk as an addition to the American National Tree exhibit, which tells the stories of over 100 Americans whose actions have helped write the story of the Constitution. Milk was best known for his courageous fight for equal treatment for homosexuals as the first openly gay man elected to political office in California.
Public Programs:
Separation of Powers show, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. , 2:30 p.m.
This fun and energizing show teaches you about the branches of government and how our Constitution limits government by separating power - a revolutionary idea! Take part in an educational game of tug-of-war among the three branches of government while they learn about checks and balances.
Separation of Powers Workshop, 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Dig deeper into the formation of our national government as we examine primary sources of the three branches of government.
Decoding the Document Workshop: Pennsylvania Packet 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Take a closer look at a rare copy of the Pennsylvania Packet and learn more about the first public printing of the Constitution and how We, the People first read these famous words.
Balance of Powers Demonstration, 10:00 a .m. - 3:00 p.m.
Learn more about the three branches of government as you explore giant models of the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. Public Program demonstrators lead you through an entertaining look at the buildings, the people who work in them, and the checks and balances of our government.
Leadership Tour of the Signers Hall, 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m.
Learn more about history and leadership as staff guide you through Signers Hall and highlight the leadership styles of our founding fathers.