A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future
Monday, May 25, 2026 to Thursday, December 31, 2026
In the early days of our nation, the idea for Eastern State Penitentiary—the nation's first penitentiary—emerged as a bold initiative to reform the criminal justice system. Framed in 1787, just 11 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Eastern State Penitentiary was built on a radical belief in human dignity and our capacity for change. Its founders sought to answer a question that still echoes through our country today: Have we established justice?
In 2026, as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, Eastern State hosts A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs that invites visitors to wrestle with evolving meanings of liberty and justice.
A Time for Liberty features 5 family-friendly festivals, 9 panel discussions with scholars and systems-impacted leaders, 4 community workshops, 2 pop-up exhibitions drawn from the site's archival collections, and new online learning resources that extend the experience to classrooms nationwide. Visit EasternState.org to learn more.
A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Additional partners to be announced throughout 2026. For more information and updates, visit EasternState.org.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Firstival: Free Admission All Day!
Saturday, October 03, 2026
11:00am - 2:00pm
As part of a yearlong celebration of national firsts across Philadelphia, join us for a family-friendly event exploring the history and legacy of America’s first penitentiary. Enjoy free admission to Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. Reflect on the ever-evolving meanings of justice and freedom with live music by Orchestra 2001, a spoken word performance by 2026/2027 Philadelphia Poet Laureate Raina J. León, make-and-take art with artist-in-residence Cody Stuhltrager, and a community fair.
Indigenous People’s Weekend
Friday, October 09, 2026
All Day
This weekend, our Guide-Led Tour and Discussion will include additional content exploring the impact of the criminal justice system on Indigenous people throughout the United States.
Justice 101: Religious Freedom and the Justice System
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Explore the complex legal story of religious freedom and the justice system, and unpack how it continues to unfold in courtrooms, prisons, and jails across the country today. Delve into notable rulings that protected the rights of incarcerated people to practice their faiths behind bars. Speakers include Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University), and Marci A. Hamilton, J.D. (Professor of Practice in Political Science & Fox Family Pavilion Non-Resident Fellow in the Program for Research of Religion, University of Pennsylvania).
Fall Festival
Sunday, October 25, 2026
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Free for kids in costume and their caregivers. No reservations necessary.
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site for some fall-themed family fun! Trick-or-treat inside the historic site, explore and learn with the help of a special scavenger hunt, and enjoy story time, hands-on activities, art making, music, and more at an activity fair made possible with the help of our community partners.
Justice 101: From Natural Rights to “Slave of the State”- Philadelphia’s Founding Vision and the Making of the “Slave of the State”
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: Examining the Justice System and the Unfinished work of the Founding and the Prisoners’ Rights Revolution
Thursday, December 03, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Join us as we explore how incarcerated people and their allies challenged the idea that prisoners lose their rights, sparking a movement that reshaped American law and raised enduring questions about whether the nation's promise of inherent human dignity and freedom has ever been fully realized.
Justice 101: Faith, Sanctuary, and Community
Wednesday, December 09, 2026
5:30pm - 6:30pm
In sites of incarceration, faith is often more than a personal belief, it a bridge. It builds community, fosters found families, and creates shared warmth in spaces of isolation.
Join us for an evening that opens with a panel discussion and features live musical performances exploring how religious connection sustains people through incarceration. In the spirit of Hanukkah, a celebration of perseverance, light, and community, we will gather to honor the spiritual bonds that bring people together behind bars and celebrate Eastern State’s historic synagogue as an enduring space of memory, unity, and hope.
Firstival: Free Admission All Day!
Saturday, October 03, 2026
As part of a yearlong celebration of national firsts across Philadelphia, join us for a family-friendly event exploring the history and legacy of America’s first penitentiary. Enjoy free admission to Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. Reflect on the ever-evolving meanings of justice and freedom with live music by Orchestra 2001, a spoken word performance by 2026/2027 Philadelphia Poet Laureate Raina J. León, make-and-take art with artist-in-residence Cody Stuhltrager, and a community fair.
Indigenous People’s Weekend
Friday, October 09 - Monday, October 12, 2026
This weekend, our Guide-Led Tour and Discussion will include additional content exploring the impact of the criminal justice system on Indigenous people throughout the United States.
Justice 101: Religious Freedom and the Justice System
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Explore the complex legal story of religious freedom and the justice system, and unpack how it continues to unfold in courtrooms, prisons, and jails across the country today. Delve into notable rulings that protected the rights of incarcerated people to practice their faiths behind bars. Speakers include Michael Moreland, J.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Law and Religion & Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Villanova University), and Marci A. Hamilton, J.D. (Professor of Practice in Political Science & Fox Family Pavilion Non-Resident Fellow in the Program for Research of Religion, University of Pennsylvania).
Fall Festival
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Free for kids in costume and their caregivers. No reservations necessary.
Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site for some fall-themed family fun! Trick-or-treat inside the historic site, explore and learn with the help of a special scavenger hunt, and enjoy story time, hands-on activities, art making, music, and more at an activity fair made possible with the help of our community partners.
New Exhibit Opening!
Friday, November 20, 2026
Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: From Natural Rights to “Slave of the State”- Philadelphia’s Founding Vision and the Making of the “Slave of the State”
Tuesday, November 24, 2026
Details to come, check back for updates.
Justice 101: Examining the Justice System and the Unfinished work of the Founding and the Prisoners’ Rights Revolution
Thursday, December 03, 2026
Join us as we explore how incarcerated people and their allies challenged the idea that prisoners lose their rights, sparking a movement that reshaped American law and raised enduring questions about whether the nation's promise of inherent human dignity and freedom has ever been fully realized.
Justice 101: Faith, Sanctuary, and Community
Wednesday, December 09, 2026
In sites of incarceration, faith is often more than a personal belief, it a bridge. It builds community, fosters found families, and creates shared warmth in spaces of isolation.
Join us for an evening that opens with a panel discussion and features live musical performances exploring how religious connection sustains people through incarceration. In the spirit of Hanukkah, a celebration of perseverance, light, and community, we will gather to honor the spiritual bonds that bring people together behind bars and celebrate Eastern State’s historic synagogue as an enduring space of memory, unity, and hope.
