Contact: Karis Erwin, National WWI Museum and Memorial, 816.888.8122, kerwin@theworldwar.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – One of only 14 surviving official printings of the U.S. Constitution from 1787 goes on view on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in The Words that Bind Us. Presented by Griffin Catalyst in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the free exhibition explores how the Constitution united the nation and how Americans have served and sacrificed across generations to defend its principles.
The 1787 printing is on loan from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, whose support will also enable free admission to The Words that Bind Us for visitors and school groups, and the development of a new curriculum through the Museum and Memorial’s Global Education Initiative. Griffin’s loan of this rare document reinforces his commitment to bringing the nation’s founding ideals to life for millions of Americans through the stories and documents that shaped our democracy.
“As the nation marks 250 years, this exhibition shows how Americans have drawn strength and a sense of unity from their founding documents in moments of crisis,” said Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. “The Constitution bound a young nation together in 1787, and it still binds us today. Preserving our democracy is a responsibility we all share.”
“For generations, the brave men and women of our military have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution, often at great personal sacrifice,” said Ken Griffin. “As our nation marks its 250th anniversary, I am proud to partner with the National WWI Museum and Memorial to honor their selfless service and share the founding charter that so many have risked everything to protect.”
That story of this rare document begins in 1787, when 55 delegates met in secret for four months to replace the struggling Articles of Confederation. On Sept. 17, they approved the Constitution. Working overnight, the printing firm Dunlap & Claypoole produced 500 official copies for Congress and the states. Only 14 survive today. With its opening words, “We the People,” the Constitution declared that the government’s authority came from its citizens.
More than a century later, those words took on new meaning. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson said that “the world must be made safe for democracy.” More than 4 million Americans served in uniform, and some 2 million crossed the Atlantic to fight in France. To understand why the cause was worth such a price, Americans looked back to the nation’s founding. Posters, Liberty Loan drives and pamphlets echoed revolutionary language, linking 1776 to 1917.
Since 1787, the words of the Constitution have formed a common thread that holds Americans together. The Words that Bind Us honors the generations of Americans who have traveled to faraway places, risked their lives and made extraordinary sacrifices in defense of its ideals.
The Words that Bind Us opens on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, and closes on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2027.
The exhibition is on display on the Lower Level of the Museum and Memorial. Admission is free, and timed tickets are required. Tickets for November visits are available now, and new tickets will be released on the 20th of each month for the following month. Reserve tickets at theworldwar.org
The Words that Bind Us is made possible by Kenneth C. Griffin and Griffin Catalyst.