The National Archives Celebrates Constitution Day September 17

Panel Discussion focuses on the Constitution in 2020

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Archives
celebrates the 222nd anniversary of the signing of the United States
Constitution on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7 p.m. with a special panel
discussion focusing on constitutional issues of the next decade. The program
is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan
Theater of the National Archives Building, which is fully accessible.

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The National Archives has the original Constitution on permanent display in
the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom of the National Archives Building,
located on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington,
D.C.

What will the Constitution look like over the next decade? What are the issues
that will arise, and how should they be handled? Four Yale Law School scholars
will discuss constitutional issues of the future, including the challenge of
new technologies, Presidential power, voting, economic rights, and freedom of
speech. Moderated by Linda Greenhouse, Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence
and Senior Fellow in Law, the panel includes professors of law Jack M. Balkin
and Reva B. Siegel, co-editors of The Constitution in 2020, and Robert C.
Post, dean of Yale Law School. A book signing of The Constitution in 2020 will
follow the program.

For more information on National Archives programs, the public should call the
Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events on the
web at: http://www.archives.gov/calendar/.

Related programs and exhibits at the National Archives:

A New World Is at Hand
Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom
Flanking the permanent display of the Declaration of Independence,
Constitution, and Bill of Rights is the exhibition, "A New World Is at Hand."
Featuring a selection of the National Archives' most treasured documents, this
exhibition reveals the drama, passion, and poignancy of the struggle for
freedom that has defined much of U.S. history.

The Public Vaults
This permanent interactive exhibition - literally located behind the wall of
the display of the Constitution - is organized according to the preamble to
the U.S. Constitution. The Public Vaults creates the feeling of going into
the stacks and vaults of the National Archives, and offers visitors a "hands
on" examination of the workings of the three branches of government, as
outlined in the Constitution.

Exhibition Hours and Contact Information:
Exhibit Hall hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, through September 7. Beginning
Tuesday, September 8, Exhibit Hall hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily, but
closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25.

SOURCE National Archives

National Archives Public Affairs staff, +1-202-357-5300