PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Constitution Center today announced the fall 2015 lineup for its popular America's Town Hall series of constitutional conversations and debates. This year's lineup will explore the timely topics of Religious Liberty, Policing, School Choice, Affirmative Action, and Gun Rights, among other topics. Guest speakers include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, author Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey.
"I'm thrilled to bring such a remarkable and diverse group of thought leaders to the National Constitution Center's headquarters in Philadelphia and also to extend our programs across America with our traveling Town Hall series," said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. "In these polarized times, we are finding a hunger for non-partisan debate and conversation about the U.S. Constitution. By hearing the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional debates at the center of American life, citizens can make up their own minds."
The National Constitution Center's America's Town Hall program series features distinguished leaders, scholars, authors, and journalists who speak on the most significant constitutional topics of our time.
Many of the National Constitution Center's America's Town Hall events are free and reservations are recommended as programs fill quickly. To make a reservation call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org/debate.
Please see below for a complete list of America's Town Hall fall programming.
Cass R. Sunstein: Democracy and Extremism in the Age of Digital Media
6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Free
The National Constitution Center and the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionalism welcome Harvard Law Professor and former Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cass R. Sunstein.
Arthur C. Brooks - How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America*
6 p.m., Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Free for members • $7 teachers & students • $10 public
Leading policy thinker and American Enterprise Institute president Arthur C. Brooks offers his bold vision for conservatism as a movement for social and economic justice.
Landmark Cases – The Launch of a New Series by the National Constitutional Center and C-SPAN
7 p.m., Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Free
A panel of experts will discuss America's most critical Supreme Court cases. This program marks the launch of a new C-SPAN series, produced in cooperation with the National Constitution Center. Landmark Cases: Historic Supreme Courts explores the human stories behind historic rulings.
Presented in partnership with C-SPAN.
Justice Stephen Breyer - The Court and the World
2 p.m., Thursday, September 17, 2015
Free admission, courtesy of PNC Foundation, includes all Constitution Day programming
Justice Breyer makes a special appearance around his newly released book examining the work of the Supreme Court in an increasingly interconnected world.
American Faith - The Origin and Meaning of Religious Liberty
5 p.m., Monday, September 21, 2015
$7 members, teachers, & students • $10 public • Free for 1787 Society members
Two all-star panels debate the historical and contemporary origins around religious liberty in America. Participants include constitutional law and religious liberty experts Marci Hamilton, Philip Hamburger, Michael McConnell, Douglas Laycock, and Kristina Arriaga.
In conjunction with the National Constitution Center's new exhibit, Religious Liberty and the Founding of America, opening August 21.
Senator Chris Coons – A Conversation on Law and Politics
12 p.m., Friday, October 2, 2015
Free
U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware previews the upcoming Supreme Court term, current congressional debates, and his life in public service.
Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey - Policing in a Democratic Society
5:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 13, 2015
$7 members, teachers, & students • $10 public • Free for 1787 Society members
The Center launches a national initiative to host constitutional conversations with police recruits, headed by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who will join for an intimate conversation, followed by a panel on law and policing featuring psychology professor Joshua Correll, Heather Mac Donald, author of Are Cops Racist?, and legal scholar Theodore Shaw.
Anne-Marie Slaughter - Unfinished Business*
6:30 p.m., Monday, October 19, 2015
Free for members • $7 teachers & students • $10 public
Leading voice in the nationwide discussion on women's changing role in the workplace, Anne-Marie Slaughter, discusses her hotly anticipated book, Unfinished Business—her take on what's necessary to get true gender equality in America.
What's Cooking? – An Evening with American Chefs
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 21, 2015
$7 members, teachers, & students • $10 public • Free for 1787 Society members
Leading health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel sits down with some of the nation's most celebrated restaurateurs to discuss the food industry and how the U.S. government shapes our culinary life.
In conjunction with the National Constitution Center's new feature exhibition, What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?: The Government's Effect on the American Diet, opening October 9.
Jess Bravin, Adam Liptak, and Steven Mazie - The 10 Toughest Cases of the 2014-15 Term*
12 p.m., Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Free
Top Supreme Court reporters—Jess Bravin of The Wall Street Journal, Adam Liptak of The New York Times, and Steven Mazie of The Economist—outline the issues and arguments in the 10 most controversial opinions of the term.
School Choice – The Role of the Constitution and the Courts in Improving Education
4 p.m., Monday, November 2, 2015
Free for members • $7 teachers & students • $10 public
Two back-to-back debates explore the questions, "Does the constitution guarantee an "equal education" to every child?" and "What do the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions say about school choice, teacher tenure, standardized testing, and more?"
Presented in partnership with Philadelphia School Partnership.
The Legacy of Reconstruction
9 a.m., Thursday, November 5, 2015
Free
The Center hosts three conversations on the origins, influence, and contemporary meaning of the 14th Amendment. Featured speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning historians David M. Kennedy and Jack Rakove, Judge Janice Rogers Brown, and others.
Presented in partnership with the Federal Judicial Center.
Jon Meacham - The American Odyssey of George H.W. Bush*
7 p.m., Thursday, November 12, 2015
$25 members • $30 public (includes a copy of new book)
Presidential historian and bestselling author Jon Meacham unveils his sweeping yet intimate biography of George H. W. Bush – charting Bush's storied rise in politics from congressman to U.N. ambassador to head of the CIA to 41st president.
Ari Berman - The Fight (and Right) to Vote*
12 p.m., Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Free
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Voting Rights Act, Ari Berman, political correspondent of The Nation, brings new insight to one of the most vital political and civil rights issues of our time—the continuing battle over the right to vote.
Why Reconstruction Matters
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Free for members • $7 teachers & students • $10 public
Don't miss preeminent historian Eric Foner for a special 13th Amendment discussion on the heels of the 150th anniversary of ratification.
Presented in partnership with the Constitutional Accountability Center.
*A sale and book signing will follow the program.
Bill of Rights Day - Book Festival
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 15, 2015
$5 discounted admission, courtesy of Macy's, includes all Bill of Rights Day programming
Dozens of special events and museum programming, including access to one of the 12 surviving copies of the Bill of Rights and the back-by-popular-demand book festival, will be part of the Center's Bill of Rights Day celebration.
10 a.m. How Magna Carta Shaped America
Featuring constitutional law and comparative constitutionalism expert A.E. Dick Howard
11:15 a.m. James Madison's 'Notes': Revising the Constitutional Convention
Featuring professor of law and distinguished scholar Mary Sarah Bilder
1:15 p.m. Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court's History and the Nation's Constitutional Dialogue
Featuring revered judicial authority Melvin Urofsky
2:30 p.m. The Federalist Papers: Relevant Today?
Featuring one of America's most distinguished constitutional scholars, Sanford Levinson
America's Town Hall On the Road
The National Constitution Center is taking its Town Hall programs on the road. These cutting-edge conversations and debates bring the top thinkers from around the country and across the political spectrum to explore the timeliest constitutional topics at the center of American life. Tickets can be reserved at constitutioncenter.org/debate.
Is the Criminal Justice System Good for Business?
Monday, October 19
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Resolved: The Second Amendment Protects the Individual's Right to Own and Carry a Gun
Thursday, November 19
Chicago, Illinois
Presented in partnership with the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society.
The Equal Protection Clause Forbids Racial Preferences in State University Admissions
Thursday, December 3, 2015
New York, New York
Presented in partnership with Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates.
These programs are made possible through the support of a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed during these programs are those of the program participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
The National Constitution Center is located at 525 Arch Street on Philadelphia's Independence Mall. The Center is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia inspires active citizenship as the only place where people across America and around the world can come together to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America's leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its Congressional charter "to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a non-partisan basis." As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America's Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a center for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire, excite, and engage citizens about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.