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Exterior of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Portal

The National Constitution Center is a 160,000 square foot museum that opened on July 4, 2003, in the historic district of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and designed by American architect Henry N. Cobb.

The mission of the Center, as established in the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 (16 U.S.C. 407aa et seq.)[1], is to disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.

The US Constitution was debated and signed in Independence Hall, a historical building about a quarter mile from the Center. The National Constitution Center is located within Independence National Historical Park.

Flags displayed in the lobby of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

On January 11, 2007 the National Constitution Center and CEO Joseph M. Torsella announced that President George H.W. Bush was elected Chairman of the Center’s Board of Trustees for the year 2007. The Center is the only organization for which President Bush serves as Chairman.

Before entering the main museum hall, all museum visitors first view a presentation titled Freedom Rising. The presention incorporates a live actor as well as multimedia elements to explain the important role of the constitution in US history.

Many of the features in the main museum hall have interactive elements. One series of stations has the visitor answer simple questions in order to determine if the visitor would have had the right to vote in a particular historical period. Another set of stations presents divisive issues such as intelligent design or the death penalty and asks visitors to write short opinions on Post-It notes which are stuck on the wall.

• Philadelphia Liberty Medal

• National Constitution Center official site

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