Free Speech Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum examines Americans’ constitutional rights

The National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia unveiled a new exhibition series that explores freedom of speech as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of our society.

“We would not have freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly if the cornerstone of our democracy were not freedom of speech,” said Alaine Arnott, president and CEO of the Old City museum.

Visitors to each of the three exhibitions in the series can explore the past, present and enduring promise of this fundamental right through a neutral lens, beginning with Free Speech: Our Right, Our Responsibility, an interactive and multimedia exploration of freedom of expression. invites visitors to reflect on its meaning and why it can be a controversial and polarizing topic in an era of loud voices, online cancel culture and protests.

“We talk about the Constitution and the First Amendment, which are great, but unless you can put those into practical and applicable situations, people lose what it means to have these rights as Americans,” Arnott said.

At the exhibition, visitors can trace the history of freedom of expression from its origins to the present. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 20-foot-tall glass sculpture called the “Flame of Liberty,” created by Dale Chihuly.

The exhibition consists of four parts:

• “What is Free Speech?” establishes the concept and how it is written into the First Amendment and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
• “Know Your Rights” examines what is protected and excluded from freedom of expression. Here, two sets of six flip panels provide different scenarios in which visitors can be asked to decide whether it is protected or excluded under our First Amendment rights. The section also questions the challenges of freedom of expression and the risks of censorship that limits tolerance or our ability to empathize with opposing views.
• “Tensions” contains four reading panels around the ‘Flame of Freedom’, reflecting on the good, the bad and the responsibilities to better understand how we can exercise our rights and how the law supports them. The flame of Chihuly represents freedom and our collective efforts to care for that fire. Exercising freedom of expression is the way our society experiences and practices freedom. However, if this flame is not controlled, it can burn uncontrollably and cause damage.
• “Then and Now” visitors will read case studies examining famous historical and contemporary examples of freedom of expression in four areas: education, politics and civil rights, arts and entertainment, and communications. These panels show how freedom of expression was championed by movement leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, how artists and entertainers like comedian George Carlin pushed back on what was generally accepted, and the opportunities and challenges of evolving technology.