NORWEGIAN HISTORIANS DISCUSS THE INFLUENCE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS ON THE NORWEGIAN CONSTITUTION AT THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER
Philadelphia, PA (October 2, 2014) – In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Norway’s constitution, the National Constitution Center and the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia co-present a conversation on the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Constitution of Norway featuring University of Oslo Professor Ola Mestad and University of California Professor Kaare Strøm. National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates. The conversation will draw inspiration from the forthcoming book and exhibition, Red, White and Blue: Norwegian Constitution, American Inspiration.
This program will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. at the National Constitution Center, Independence Mall, 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Admission is FREE. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 215-409-6700 or visiting constitutioncenter.org. This program is made possible with the generous contributions of the National Constitution Center, ArtPro Forlag AS, the Royal Norwegian General Consulate in New York, the Global Philadelphia Association and the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia.
Ola Mestad is professor of law at the University of Oslo where he received his doctor’s degree in law I 1992. He was a Hauser Senior Research Fellow at New York University Law School 2010-11 and group leader at the Center for Advanced Study, The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 2012-13. Dr. Mestad is currently chair of the Norwegian Research Council’s research committee for the bicentennial of the Norwegian Constitution and has published several books and articles about the history of the Norwegian Constitution and the development of the Norwegian democracy.
Kaare Strøm is a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. He received his doctorate degree from Stanford University in 1984. He has held several research positions at different institutions in Norway and other countries and is a fellow at the Center for the Study of Civil War at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo. His research has mainly been directed towards European and comparative politics, with a focus on political parties, formations of government, theories of coalitions and parliamentary institutions. Dr. Strøm has published an extensive number of articles and contributions to books and has received several prizes and honors.
Jeffrey Rosen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center. Rosen is also a professor at The George Washington University Law School and the legal affairs editor of The New Republic. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he explores issues involving the future of technology and the Constitution. Since 2000, he has served as a moderator at The Aspen Institute, where he conducts seminars and panels on technology and the Constitution, privacy, and free speech and democracy. He is a highly regarded journalist whose essays and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, on National Public Radio, and in The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer. Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.
About Red, White and Blue: Norwegian Constitution, American Inspiration
According to the publisher, Trond B. Olsen, Red, White and Blue showcases the spread of knowledge and art between Norway and the United States. The book includes contributions by social scientists and Norwegian historians, including Ola Mestad, Kaare Strøm, and Jeffrey Rosen, as well as nine prominent Norwegian artists. Both authors and artists were inspired by the Constitution and 200 years of democratic rule. Artwork from the book will be on display in an exhibition hosted by the National Constitution Center from October 20, 2014 to December 1, 2014. The exhibition, which first opened in Norway, will be shown in several cities across the United States through the end of this year.
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is the Museum of We the People, America’s Town Hall, and a Headquarters for Civic Education. As the Museum of We the People, the National Constitution Center brings the United States Constitution to life for visitors of all ages and inspires active citizenship by celebrating the American constitutional tradition. The museum features interactive exhibits, engaging theatrical performances, and original documents of freedom. As the only institution established by Congress to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis,” the National Constitution Center serves as a Headquarters for Civic Education—offering cutting-edge learning resources including the premier online Interactive Constitution. As America’s Town Hall, the National Constitution Center hosts timely constitutional conversations uniting distinguished leaders, scholars, authors, and journalists from across the political spectrum. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
About the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia
The Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1915 to promote trade, goodwill, and to foster business, financial, and professional interests between Norway and the United States, for the purpose of benefiting and facilitating contact among its members.
The NACC Philadelphia Chapter serves the Greater Philadelphia region of the United States, which includes Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware. It is the premier forum for Norwegian and US member companies that engage in international trade and market expansion in the corridor between New York City and Washington DC, and a gateway to doing business in other US cities and Norway.