Next week’s presidential debate will be the first of its kind at the National Constitutional Center

The last time the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia hosted a presidential debate, it featured Usher, Lil Wayne, and Flo Rida were listed on the Billboard Top 100The war in Iraq was in full swing, and the Phillies were six months away from winning the World Series.

It was April 16, 2008 and Barack Obama and Hillary Clintonwho were competing for it at that time Democratic nomination for president, entered the scene just eight days before the Pennsylvania primary. Clinton won Pennsylvaniabut Obama won the nomination and became president.

On September 10, the National Constitution Center will host its first-ever general election debate, bringing Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to Philadelphia, marking the institution’s history as a host of momentous events.

“There’s nothing like a presidential debate,” said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the Constitution Center. “It’s unique, important and historic.”

ABC News, whose anchors will moderate the debate, approached the center about hosting the event, Rosen said. The network liked the location, which hosted separate town halls for then-candidates Trump and Joe Biden during the 2020 election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be no live audience at this time, Rosen said. Although ABC could reverse that decision, he added. The Harris and Trump campaigns have been at odds over whether there should be live microphones during the debate.

It’s “all the more significant” that one of the most crucial political moments of 2024 is taking place just steps away from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, Rosen said. The center’s history has been used as a backdrop for other crucial political and historical events and conversations since the institution opened on July 4, 2003.

“In these polarized times, it is critical to model civil dialogue and debate, to show that it is possible to disagree without being unpleasant, and to respectfully explore areas of agreement and disagreement regarding the Constitution,” Rosen said.

Let’s look back at some historic moments at the National Constitution Center ahead of next week’s debate.

Where Barack Obama Called for a ‘More Perfect Union’

The former president filed speech at the Constitutional Center on March 18, 2008when he was a U.S. senator from Illinois and was running for the Democratic Party nomination for president.

At a key moment in his campaign, Obama stood before a horde of American flags and delivered a passionate speech that lasted about 40 minutes about the role of race in the presidential campaign. He also condemned provocative comments by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor.

He told the story of his life and upbringing. Five months laterObama became the first black presidential candidate and then president in US history.

“It’s a story that didn’t make me the most conventional candidate” Obama said“But it’s a story that burned into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts — that out of many, we are truly one.”

Obama addressed the extreme rhetoric surrounding race issues at the time and called on Americans to unite to create a “more perfect union.”

“I expressed my deep conviction — a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people — that by working together, we can overcome some of our old racial wounds and that, in fact, we have no choice if we are to continue on the path to a more perfect union,” he said.

Town hall meetings with socially distanced Pennsylvania voters

Next week, Trump will make his second appearance at the Constitution Center, where he will answer questions from ABC reporters (although the former president recently expressed doubts about his participation).

In 2020, Trump answered questions from host George Stephanopoulos, with whom Trump is currently in ongoing legal proceedings, and an audience of socially distanced Pennsylvania voters which questioned the then-president about his handling of the pandemic, racial injustice in the U.S., the economy and health care policy.

“I’m not downplaying it,” Trump said of his COVID response. “I don’t want to panic our nation. I’m the nation’s cheerleader. I’m the one who shut down our country. I shut it down long before any of the experts thought I should — and I saved hundreds of thousands of lives.”

Biden town hall a month later gave him an opportunity to discredit Trump’s record on these issues.

“But President Trump says things like, you know, everything from this crazy thing that he’s moving on from now, he’ll inject bleach into your arm and it’ll work… I mean, he actually said those things,” Biden said.

The awarding of the Medal of Freedom is proof of non-partisan commitment

In addition to its involvement in presidential politics, the National Constitution Center annually awards the Medal of Freedom to “people around the world who have dedicated themselves to the blessing of freedom.” in accordance with cEnter.

Last The recipients of the medal were, among others: From Supreme Court justices to world leaders, former presidents, lawmakers and civil rights activists.

Center presented to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky medal for leadership during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Two years earlier, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg she received the award just one day before her death.

In a bipartisan act, Biden — who was then chairman of the center’s board of trustees — he introduced his friend Senator John McCain (R., Ariz.), with a medal in 2017 in a moment Rosen called “unforgettable.”

“We didn’t always agree on issues. We argued often — sometimes passionately,” McCain said of Biden during his speech. “But we believed in the patriotism of the other side and the sincerity of the convictions of the other side. We believed in the institution in which we had the honor to serve.”