4-Story Monument to 1st Amendment Freedoms Finds New Home Near Historic Landmark

By The Associated Press April 4, 2021 at 12:05am

A four-story, 50-ton marble tablet engraved with the text of the First Amendment, previously displayed on the facade of the now-shuttered Newseum in Washington, will find a new home in Philadelphia across from Independence Hall.

The National Constitution Center, which sits in an area of the city billed as America’s most historic square mile, will erect the tablet in an atrium overlooking Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were adopted.

50-Ton Marble Tablet of the First Amendment Heading to Philadelphia https://t.co/e7fJWBrB87 pic.twitter.com/970cK10FlR

— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) March 18, 2021

The district is also home to the Liberty Bell and the First Bank of the United States.

The tablet is engraved with the First Amendment, which protects the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly and the right to petition the government.

The iconic First Amendment marble tablet on the façade of the former Newseum building on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington is being moved to historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia. https://t.co/Kh9YO9qts1

— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) March 19, 2021

It’s a gift from the Freedom Forum, the creator of the Newseum, a museum dedicated to the First Amendment.

The museum was sold to Johns Hopkins University and closed in 2019.

A four-story, 50-ton marble tablet engraved with the text of the First Amendment, previously displayed on the facade of the now-shuttered Newseum in Washington, will find a new home in Philadelphia across from Independence Hall. https://t.co/69ECxuYZYS

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) March 20, 2021

“It’s so meaningful to bring the text of the First Amendment to Philadelphia,” National Constitution Center president Jeffrey Rosen said in a statement.

He said it would “inspire visitors for generations to come.”

A dedication ceremony is planned for later this year.

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Tags:

Bill of Rights, Constitution, First Amendment, Philadelphia, U.S. News, WJ Wire

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