Richmond, VA --- The American Constitution Spirit Corporation, a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit foundation, announced today that the Spirit of Freedom Tour will commence in the fall of 2010, with its first stop in Philadelphia, PA. “It’s most appropriate that we launch this tour in the city which represents the birth of the U.S. Constitution” says tour president, Lawrence Creeger.
This groundbreaking Spirit of Freedom Tour will travel to 20 cities each year immersing millions of students, teachers, parents and communities in the historical significance of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the sacrifices made by our forefathers in adopting these governing documents. Through live historic reenactments, multimedia experiences, historical archives and exciting interactive programs, this exhibit will engage visitors and make them part of the history of the Constitution as it unfolds before their very eyes. The Spirit of Freedom Tour is offered as a free experience for all students and visitors. A typical tour-stop in each city consists of one seven-day week during which time more than 75,000 students are transported to the Spirit Pavilion. “The Spirit of Freedom Tour represents an opportunity to inform and educate this generation of American students about the history and importance of the Constitution and the bill of Rights. They just don’t teach civics in our schools and most parents will benefit by accompanying their children on the weekends. I don’t believe the timing could be better,” stated board member, Aaron Siegel, former President of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, and lifelong resident of Philadelphia.
Two extraordinary monuments, commissioned by the United States Constitution Bicentennial Commission, and sculpted by renowned artist, Brett Livingstone Strong, serve as the centerpieces for this landmark tour. Strong’s Spirit of Freedom Monument was dedicated by Congress in 1989 as the only National Monument to the U.S. Constitution, while his U.S. Presidency Monument was acclaimed as the centerpiece for the Presidency Bicentennial.
The Spirit of Freedom Tour also presents a vehicle by which communities can permanently place bronze replicas of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights in their schools which is accomplished through our associated National Constitution Plaque Initiative. These plaque sets were officially dedicated by Chief Justice Warren Burger and President Ronald Reagan on September 17, 1987 and were also created by artist Brett Livingstone Strong, the same artist that sculpted the two national monuments.
