National Constitution Center

There is a section of the Declaration of Independence most readers skip. But you can’t fully understand the declaration without it. This week on #WeThePeoplePodcast, historian Rosemarie Zagarri joins host Julie Silverbrook to explore the 27 grievances against the King and why they matter. Listen now: https://ow.ly/ZnHc50ZzzIH

How is Pennsylvania’s founding story a chapter in America’s constitutional one? We are thrilled to welcome a new special exhibition, “Pennsylvania’s Founding: How a City and a Colony Shaped America’s Civic DNA,” created in partnership with Drexel University, opening at the National Constitution Center on September 30, 2026. Rare documents, maps, artwork, and artifacts will lead visitors through an exploration of Pennsylvania’s early history as an essential chapter in America’s constitutional story. Curated by Drexel’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships and Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University, the exhibit examines how Pennsylvania’s founding and Philadelphia’s development shaped ideas about representative government, religious liberty, civic participation, and constitutional self-government. #PAFounding will be FREE to all visitors with no museum admission required. This project is supported by the William Penn Foundation, Poor Richard’s Charitable Trust, Connelly Foundation, and Syde Hurdus Foundation. The exhibit will be open through January 3, 2027. Check out a list of artifacts and learn more: https://ow.ly/Jtb550ZzqkX Image Credit: Portrait of William Penn, unknown artist (possibly after Peter Lely), 1700s (Atwater Kent Collection, From Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, Gift of Granville Penn)

America’s civic institutions are all around us: museums, libraries, historic sites, parks, bookstores, universities, and community organizations. Together, they form an extraordinary shared civic infrastructure that connects Americans to history, ideas, and one another. In her latest #CivicDecade essay, National Constitution Center Chief Content and Learning Officer Julie Silverbrook writes that the coming anniversary years offer an opportunity to recognize, strengthen, and better connect this remarkable network of institutions. That means larger institutions and philanthropy sharing resources, expertise, and programming with smaller organizations. And it means all of us taking advantage of the civic architecture already around us: visiting, participating, supporting these institutions, and returning again and again. https://ow.ly/wM2U50ZyVQw

What makes Schoolhouse Rock! so magical? Why does it continue to resonate with audiences of all ages more than 50 years after it first aired? This week on #CivicParenting, we celebrate its extraordinary legacy. Hosts Julie Silverbrook and Lindsey Cormack are joined by three women who have personal ties to the iconic series to discuss what today's parents can learn from a series that didn't just teach children about civics, but inspired generations to see learning as something joyful, memorable, and worth carrying with them throughout their lives. 🎧 Listen: https://ow.ly/iuEF50ZyHq4

For nearly four decades, the Liberty Medal has recognized individuals and organizations whose courage and leadership have advanced the cause of liberty around the world. Today, we are honored to announce that longtime National Constitution Center supporters Ira Lubert and Pamela Estadt intend to establish a $2 million endowment that will permanently fund the Liberty Medal’s annual $100,000 prize. For nearly 20 years, Ira and Pam have generously sponsored the Liberty Medal prize. Their transformational commitment will now help ensure that future generations continue to celebrate and learn from extraordinary champions of liberty. The Liberty Medal’s distinguished roster of recipients includes Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senator John McCain, Representative John Lewis, former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. Other recipients include champions of democracy, human rights advocates, religious leaders, public servants, and organizations whose work has advanced liberty around the world. Learn more: https://ow.ly/W36J50Zy6rI

Happy #NationalBookLoversDay! If you love to read and you love #USHistory, check out #PromiseofAmerica, an inspirational collection of essays from the nation’s leading constitutional scholars across the political spectrum exploring the founding principles that continue to shape American democracy. Order your copy now: https://ow.ly/Uzuo50Zuq3e

Vince Stango, interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, shares how conversations with newly naturalized U.S. citizens sparked a curiosity about his own family’s American story. Through The Stories of US Discovery Center, an activation from Ancestry, Vince explored his grandfather’s journey to the United States and path to citizenship, discovering records that brought his family history to life in new ways. Now, you can explore your own family’s story. Visit the Ancestry pop-up Discovery Center in the National Constitution Center’s lobby through August 31, 2026. This free interactive experience features search stations, storytelling opportunities, and access to historical records that connect individual family journeys to the broader American story.

The Supreme Court's latest term featured landmark decisions on executive power, birthright citizenship, voting rights, and more. But beyond the headlines, what did the term tell us about the philosophies behind the Roberts Court itself? This week on #WeThePeoplePodcast, Jonathan Adler and Masha Hansford join Julie Silverbrook to unpack recent #SCOTUS decisions. They examine the justices' opinions to explore the defining decisions, shifting coalitions, and influential concurrences and dissents that shaped the term. 🏛️ 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eQnv7c8J

How will we know if the Civic Decade succeeds? In a new #CivicDecade essay, Julie Silverbrook argues that the Civic Decade should fundamentally change how we evaluate civic progress. Rather than simply counting participation across programs and initiatives, we should ask whether those experiences deepen civic knowledge, strengthen civic belonging, reinforce constitutional culture, and leave the country better prepared to sustain self-government. Drawing on new national survey data from the Cato Institute as a baseline, Silverbrook calls on civic institutions, educators, researchers, philanthropies, and community organizations to build a shared Civic Decade research agenda. By 2041, we should be able to demonstrate not only whether America's civic health has improved, but also which investments and experiences made that progress possible. Read the latest from the Civic Decade: https://ow.ly/ujHU50Zwzyk

What if we thought about civic learning the way we think about learning itself, not as something confined to childhood, but as a lifelong journey? In the latest from the #CivicDecade, Julie Silverbrook explores how moments of civic curiosity can spark a lifelong constitutional learning journey, and why the Civic Decade is an opportunity to build the civic learning infrastructure that invites people of every age to return to our shared constitutional story with new questions, experiences, and opportunities to learn. https://ow.ly/peF650ZwbA4