Visitors to the National Constitution Center during the month of February will have the opportunity to honor the contributions that African Americans have made throughout history during the National Constitution Center’s African American History Month Celebration. Guests visiting the Center throughout the month can participate in a variety of interactive programs that celebrate the lives of iconic figures including Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and President Barack Obama, whose vision, courage and sacrifice made real the principles our country was founded upon. In addition, the Center’s main exhibition, The Story of We the People, illuminates the trials and triumphs of African Americans throughout history.
The schedule of daily events includes:
Breaking Barriers Show
10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
FREE with museum admission
The Breaking Barriers Show examines the lives of Thurgood Marshall, Bessie Coleman, Jackie Robinson, and other extraordinary African Americans throughout history to provide insight into the issues they faced and the rights they secured for all Americans. Students are sent on a storytelling adventure as they learn about the experiences of African Americans in the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. These inspiring stories teach students how an individual’s civic actions can affect a nation.
Historic Reenactors
Saturday and Sundays throughout the month
FREE with museum admission
Reenactors from Historic Philadelphia, Inc. will visit the Center to tell the stories of African American figures from Philadelphia’s history, including Octavius Catto, Oney Judge, Gideon Olmstead, and Henry Box Brown.
Decoding the Document: Emancipation Proclamation
10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
FREE with museum admission
Students have the chance to take a close look at the Center’s rare printing of the Emancipation Proclamation to learn more about its history, the history of the Civil War, and the background of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
Giant Board Game
Program times vary; check the visitor guide upon arrival for daily game times
FREE with museum admission
The Center’s giant board game in the Grand Hall Lobby will offer the chance for children and families to test their knowledge about African American history, while competing to see who can cross the finish line first. Participants serve as game pieces as they roll the giant dice, answer questions, and work their way across the board.
African American History Highlights in The Story of We the People
FREE with museum admission
Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the Center’s exhibits that focus on important moments in African American history.
The Center’s main exhibition also features panels illustrating the fight of African Americans to become recognized as an integral part of “We the People.” Topics include the Dred Scott Decision, the Emancipation Proclamation, voting rights, and the 1960s Civil Rights movement, which includes pertinent details about the Brown v. Board of Education case, the March on Washington, the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.