Teaching the First Amendment: Religious Liberty and Civil Dialogue

The National Constitution Center is hosting a free, in-person professional learning workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday, September 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Join us for a day of learning, collaboration, and exploration, as you discover historical and constitutional education resources that will strengthen your teaching of religious liberty and the First Amendment. The workshop will be led by National Constitution Center Civic Education for Rural and Remote Communities (CERCC) Fellow Rebecca Smart and joined by Dr. James Patterson, associate professor in the Institute of American Civics at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Together, they will guide participants through the constitutional foundations of religious liberty and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment’s religion clauses over time, including in recent cases. Participants will engage with primary sources and the Center’s trusted, nonpartisan resources while practicing its educational framework of historical foundations through storytelling, constitutional thinking skills, and civil dialogue and reflection. Educators will leave with practical strategies for helping students explore complex constitutional questions, engage thoughtfully with diverse perspectives, and support their arguments with evidence.