2009 Annual Conference and Meeting
Night at the Constitution Center

THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER
The Center contains 75,785 square feet of exhibit space that includes The Story of We, the People – the permanent exhibit in DeVos Hall which includes

  • The Kimmel Theater, a 350-seat star-shaped theater featuring Freedom Rising, a multimedia production combining film, a live actor, and video projection on a 360° screen.
  • The American Experience, which includes a history of the Constitution as well as more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits for all ages.
  • Signers’ Hall, containing 42 life-size bronze statues of the 39 men who signed the Constitution, as well as the three who dissented.

ENTERTAINMENT
"Freedom Rising is a state-of-the-art multimedia theater experience designed to connect visitors—in a direct, engaging, and unforgettable way—with the story of the U.S. Constitution. This 350-seat theater-in-the-round production incorporates one actor, 360° projection, surprise scenic elements, theatrical lighting, and a dynamic surround soundtrack. The production creates a stirring environment in which visitors come to see themselves as a force in the life of the Constitution and the Constitution as an on-going force in all our lives in this country.

"The 17-minute production highlights the two great themes of the exhibition, orienting visitors to the Center’s experience. The exhibit tells the story of 'We the People' in two senses of that phrase:

  • "First, the exhibit takes the Constitution’s deepest meaning to be its vision of “popular sovereignty,” or rule by the people. The exhibit explores how that basic American principle has shaped our nation’s history. Everything in the exhibit underscores the message about the importance of active citizenship."
  • Second, the exhibition is about the way "the definition of citizenship has expanded over more than two hundred years of American history. Those who were left out of the meaning of 'We the People' back in the 18th century – white men without property, women, African Americans, other people of color – have gradually been included in 'We the People.'"

For additional information on the National Constitution Center, visit their Web site.