Live At America's Town Hall

The National Constitution Center, in partnership with a coalition of leading free speech organizations, is convened a National First Amendment Summit on September 13, 2023 to discuss the increasing threats to freedom of expression and to celebrate the opening of the Center's new First Amendment gallery. This program is presented in partnership with the Freedom Forum, FIRE, the First Amendment Watch at NYU, PEN America, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Keynote: A Conversation with Salman Rushdie  The keynote panel of the event, a conversation with author and free speech advocate Salman Rushdie about the importance of free speech in a democratic society and the forces of censorship that imperil its existence, was moderated by Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America. Panel 1: The Origins of the First Amendment and Its Central Role in Democracy Probing the origins of the First Amendment and its critical role as a check on the government Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political