National Constitution Center

in 1790, the Residence Act puts the nation’s capital in current-day Washington, D.C., as part of a plan to appease pro-slavery states who feared a Northern capital as being too sympathetic to abolitionists.

How Philadelphia lost the nation’s capital to Washington | Constitution Center It’s a sad day for some historically minded Philadelphians: It's the anniversary of the congressional act that moved the nation’s capital from their city to Washington, D.C.

Join constitutional scholar Ilan Wurman for an conversation on his new book, "The Constitution of 1789: A New Introduction."

Written to coincide with the semiquincentennial of American independence, the book offers a fresh examination of the Constitution’s origins, structure, separation of powers, and the relationship between the Constitution and the American founding. Wurman explores how the Constitution was understood at its creation and the questions that have animated constitutional debates for over two centuries.

Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Register to attend Monday, July 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET: https://ow.ly/hZ6p50ZnSIb

You know about our country’s founders. But do you know who founded your family? 🌳

Through family records, historical documents, and personal storytelling, discover how generations of Americans have contributed to the our history and civic life. 📖

Explore “The Stories of US” Discovery Center, presented in partnership with Ancestry for free.

📍WHERE: National Constitution Center
📅 WHEN: Everyday now - August 31, 2026, during museum opening hours

Learn more: https://ow.ly/kM6F50ZnuPZ

On Independence Day, five families from across the country joined us at the National Constitution Center to mark America's 250th anniversary by filling time capsules.

In 2037, when the Constitution celebrates its 250th birthday, these families will return to the Center to reopen the capsules and celebrate another significant moment in the .

Check out this feature from This Is Reno on the family that travelled the farthest:

Reno family selected for America 250 time capsule ceremony in Philadelphia A Reno family was chosen for the National Constitution Center's Family Time Capsule Challenge. Learn about their experience and the items they placed in the capsule.

in 1913, former President Gerald Ford is born in Omaha, Neb. Learn about the nation’s 38th president and the unusual way he went from a college football star 🏈 to the White House 🦅.

Gerald Ford’s unique role in American history | Constitution Center Today is the birthday of the late former President, Gerald R. Ford, who went from being a college football star to the White House under the most unusual circumstances.

Earlier this week we collaborated with the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law to present the 2026 Supreme Court Review.

We hosted three panels featuring scholars with differing perspectives to examine Court’s 2025-26 term:
📆 Panel 1: The Supreme Court’s 2025-26 Term
Sarah Isgur, senior editor, SCOTUSblog; legal analyst, ABC News
Frederick Lawrence, distinguished lecturer, Georgetown Law
Kannon Shanmugam, partner, Polk & Wardwell
Keith Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School
🎤 Moderator: Neil Siegel, professor of law and co-director of the Center on the Structural Constitution, Texas A&M University School of Law

🏛️ Panel 2: The Supreme Court and Executive Power
David French, columnist, The New York Times
Gillian Metzger, Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law, Columbia University Law School
Julian Mortenson, James G. Phillipp Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
Ilya Somin, professor of law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

🎤 Moderator: Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar, National Constitution Center
🗣️ Panel 3: Civil Discourse and the Supreme Court
Jonathan Adler, Tazewell Taylor Professor of Law, William & Mary Law School
Greg Garre, partner, Latham & Watkins
Katherine Mims Crocker, professor of law, Cornell Law School
Howard M. Wasserman, professor of law and associate dean, FIU College of Law
🎤 Moderator: Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer, National Constitution Center

▶️ If you missed the program, you can watch it now: https://ow.ly/gJcj50ZmmO8