The National Constitution Center: In Philadelphia and In your Classroom
The National Constitution Center, located on Independence Mall in historic Philadelphia, opened its doors to the public on July 4, 2003. Since then, it has seen well over three million visitors, more than 25 percent of whom are educators or students. Each comes to the Center seeking a deepened understanding of our nation’s Constitution.
Visiting the National Constitution Center allows an educator to explore the Constitution and consider how to present concepts and issues relating to the Constitution in lessons for students of all ages. Lessons can be taught at the Constitution Center, only 300 yards from where the Constitution was debated and written, or the Center can provide materials for use in your classroom, wherever the location.
To understand the National Constitution Center’s educational goals and offerings, it helps to examine the Center’s educational philosophy. This philosophy attempts to create a framework for teaching active citizenship, across the curriculum and throughout a school.
The National Constitution Center’s Educational Philosophy
The National Constitution Center defines civic learning as the integration of three learning spheres: civic knowledge, public action, and democratic deliberation. This instructional framework is designed to have a positive effect on all aspects of academic and school life. The Center believes that to improve the civic mission of all schools, every educator should integrate the three learning spheres across the grade levels and in all disciplines.
The learning spheres are defined in the following way:
Civic Knowledge: Fundamental civic knowledge is defined as an understanding of concepts such as the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, federalism, state and local government, other core facts of American government and history, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This knowledge is the foundation for the functions of a representative democracy.
Public Action: A healthy democracy is dependent on citizens who choose to participate. Integrating service-learning, when appropriate, promotes active participation and further secures a representative democracy. Active participation can be demonstrated in school leadership, student media, and/or involvement with one’s community.
Democratic Deliberation: The American system is built on the free expression of conflicting ideas and will continue to thrive only if new points of view can be expressed and heard. This includes the recognition of differing points of view on current and past issues affecting American society. Schools should strive to include all voices in the classroom and the school community while working toward the goal of having all stakeholders understand multiple points of view as they develop personal opinions.
National Constitution Center: Visiting Philadelphia
From the moment you enter our building on Independence Mall, two blocks from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center encourages you to actively participate. Every student and teacher becomes a part of
The Story of We the People as they explore the museum:
· Located in historic Philadelphia, America’s first metropolis, the National Constitution Center is actually within Independence National Historic Park. Why is this historic square mile the birthplace of our country? In the 18th century, Philadelphia was the nation’s largest city and was the most centrally located in the 13 original colonies. Following the American Revolution, the capital moved to New York City, but the convention of 1787, whose original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation, was held in Philadelphia. These historic events have provided the ideal home for a Center dedicated to the study of American history, government, and the Constitution. When you walk through the front door of the Center, you enter the Grand Hall Lobby, a meeting space where activity tables and programs occur daily.
· Next, you enter the Philadelphia 1787 exhibit. Images, sounds, and historically based conversations show what life was like in Philadelphia that summer of 1787, setting the scene for the museum’s introductory multimedia performance in the adjacent theater. Artifacts in the 1787 gallery were found on this site during an archeological excavation prior to construction. Take a look at the map in the back of the hall to find out about the Quakers, shopkeepers, enslaved Africans, craftsmen, laborers, and immigrants, who lived in this vibrant neighborhood in the 1780s.
· Freedom Rising is a spectacular 17-minute multimedia production that combines images, video, audio, and a live actor. Freedom Rising tells the story of the founding of our country and the creation of the Constitution and its impact on the nation from 1787 to today. It is a moving and unforgettable performance that many visitors consider a highlight of the museum experience.
· Once the show ends you will enter The American Experience, our main exhibit space. The exhibit gallery circles the theater in three parallel paths. The outside wall, the Chronology, uses artifacts, story panels, videos, walk-in environments, and interactives to tell the story of the Constitution and how it has shaped American history. The Preamble path, in the middle of the exhibition space, is highly interactive. It explores the functions and operations of American government today, allowing you to take the presidential oath of office, sit at a replica of the Supreme Court bench, hear the arguments in a landmark case, and serve on a jury. Finally, the inner ring encourages you to find your own answers by exploring our Interactive Constitution computer stations and voicing your opinions on key constitutional issues on our talk-back panels.
· Signers’ Hall, filled with 42 life-sized, bronze statues of the Founders, recreates the moment that the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. Here, you can choose to add your name to the Constitution or to dissent and choose not to sign, as three of the Convention delegates did.
The story continues beyond the main exhibit space. Information on current daily and special programs for schools, families, and general visitors can be found at the lobby Information Desk and on our website (
www.constitutioncenter.org).
There are also many evening programs that bring in local and national authorities on constitutional topics with either free or discounted admission for K-12 students and teachers.
Finally, our changing
Gallery space hosts many traveling exhibits created by the National Constitution Center or other institutions across the country.
National Constitution Center: Resources Wherever you Are www.ConstitutionCenter.org
o Interactive Constitution: Using the text of Linda Monk’s The Words We Live By, the Center has created an online tool allowing students to study and understand the text of the Constitution. The interactive Constitution is updated regularly to connect to current events and issues. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitution
o Constitution Newswire: A daily update of current events related to the Constitution. The National Constitution Center’s education staff updates the newswire from news sources around the country. Complete text of the story is provided, along with direct connection to the appropriate section of the Center’s Interactive Constitution. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/education/CurrentEventsfortheClassroom/ConstitutionNewswire
o Centuries of Citizenship: Interactive Timeline: Based on one of the primary portions of the National Constitution Center’s permanent exhibit, the Centuries of Citizenship Timeline is an interactive learning module. Students and teachers can use this online module to examine how the concepts of citizenship in the United States have changed over the course of American history. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/timeline/
o Citizen Action Center: This component of the National Constitution Center’s website is a robust tool for connecting directly to the operations of both local and national government. The Center allows students to research their elected officials, track bills in Congress, research the effect of lobbying on elected officials, and identify elected state representatives. This unique web-based system also provides templates for contacting these officials via email or traditional mail service.
http://capwiz.com/constitutioncenter/home/
o Podcast and Video Archive of Public Programs: The growing library of public conversations held at the National Constitution Center features conversations with elected officials, public intellectuals, and citizen debates. Students can access archived programs via a number of deliverable media options. http://www.constitutioncenter.org/visiting/PublicPrograms/ProgramArchives