USS CONSTITUTION MUSEUM INC
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Mission Statement
Engage all ages in the story of "Old Ironsides" to spark excitement for maritime heritage, naval service, and the American experience.
About This Cause
Founded in 1972, the USS Constitution Museum engages all ages in the story of “Old Ironsides.” Hands-on exhibits, online experiences, and amazing artifacts bring to life Constitution’s 221-year history. The Museum is open 362 days each year and has an admission by donation policy. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. Located on Boston’s Freedom Trail, we are accessible by car, by foot, by boat, and by public transportation. We are the fifth most visited museum in Boston, welcoming 341,865 visitors in 2018. Recent awards include a 2018 Boston Parents Paper, Readers Choice Family Favorite Winner for Best Historic Site, a sixth consecutive 4-Star Charity Navigator rating in 2018, an inaugural Trip Advisor Hall of Fame award in 2015 for five years of excellent reviews that continue today, and a national Award of Merit for Leadership in History in 2013 and 2011. The USS Constitution Museum is an award-winning leader in innovative exhibit techniques that engage all ages in learning together. The Museum's Collection consists of nearly 2,000 artifacts and more than 10,000 archival documents that document the construction, crew, restorations, and career of an active warship. The Museum's program portfolio offers 5 exhibitions, 10 gallery and hands-on history programs, 2 blogs, 2 quests, 5 films/videos, tours, and a ship modeler workshop. Our student and educator resources include 8 programs for pre K-12 students, 2 online curricula, and teacher workshops. The Museum’s extensive teacher resources and educational programs for students in pre-kindergarten through high school offer the latest in research and make history relevant for today’s students. A multi-week training program for Constitution's sailors shares historical research and interpretation techniques and offers college credit, if requested. A 2,500-volume library and reading room is available for research by historians, educators, sailors, and ship modelers. We maintain four websites tailored for specific audiences, ranging from school age children to museum professionals. All websites are accessible from our website, usscm.org. The Museum’s strategic vision is to create a reimagined visitor experience within the Charlestown Navy Yard that will excite and engage visitors of all ages, enhancing their appreciation for Constitution and the US Navy. The Museum is currently working with our Navy Yard partners, the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Navy (USN), to make this vision a reality. Museum staff and board members are developing a new Strategic Action Plan (2019-2021) around this vision. New strategic priorities adopted by the board include: 1) Navy Yard Leadership, 2) Exceptional Experiences, 3) Enhance Knowledge, 4) Leader in Education, 5) Embrace Technology, 6) Raise Visibility, 7) Organizational Effectiveness, and 8) Institutional Transformation. The Museum employs 23FT and 10PT staff in six departments: curatorial, museum learning, exhibits, marketing, finance and administration, and development. The visitor experience team consists of the curatorial, exhibits, marketing, and museum learning departments. A 34-member Board of Trustees governs the Museum and has legal responsibility for setting the policies with the President. They establish the long-range plans, approve annual budgets, review audits, monitor overall operations, and hire and evaluate the President. Volunteers support the Museum assisting with programming, exhibit design and maintenance, research, and cataloging. Volunteers from the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild demonstrate their artisanship daily in the model shop. The Museum hosts an annual ship model show to display their collective work. The USS Constitution Museum is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all board, staff, volunteer and qualified applicants with regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, or national origin. In October 2017, the USS Constitution Museum launched “All Aboard USS Constitution.” This game-changing three-year program initiative is transforming how students experience history. For the first time, Museum educators and Constitution’s sailors are team-teaching programs from the decks of “Old Ironsides.” In 2018, new student, camp, and family programs, blending time in the Museum and on board USS Constitution, offered opportunities for students to explore the Ship through dynamic programs informed by the Museum’s expertise in historical narrative, family engagement, and informal learning. The Museum’s educational programs introduce students to USS Constitution and to the ordinary sailors who lived and worked aboard the Ship. It is important to expose students to history through the different perspectives of people from all walks of life. The Museum has compiled a diverse range of stories that help students visualize history in a way that textbooks do not. Participating in activities on the decks of “Old Ironsides” is engaging and firing up the imaginations of students. One student from UP Academy prototyping this program declared “When we have a field trip, I wish we could always come here…I wish we could stay here forever.” Our innovative educational programming uses Constitution as a unique teaching medium. The K-12 school programs have a cross-disciplinary approach and incorporate 21st century skill development. The programs use our significant collection of artifacts, primary source documents, and art to teach history, STEM, and language arts. Students develop their critical thinking, teamwork, and visual thinking strategies. Our programs are student-driven, foster independent thinking, give priority to multi-cultural interaction, and connect students to an authentic historic resource within their community. All education programs are free to Boston Public Schools, camps, and afterschool programs. There is no more appropriate context to learn about USS Constitution than on board the Ship itself. Sailors of all ages and backgrounds served aboard Constitution to defend their nation. Their stories open a window into the past through which students can discover how young people like them played a role in history. One such story is that of David Debias, a young African-American sailor from Boston who joined “Old Ironsides’” crew at just eight years old in December 1814. A few months after coming aboard, David helped pass powder to the gun crews during Constitution's final victory of the War of 1812. A young hero! When he was assigned to a prize crew to sail the captured ship home, the British recaptured the ship just days later, and David became a prisoner of war! David returned to the US after the War and received $31.98 for seven months’ service. David’s story enables students to form a personal connection with a sailor through the bond of common age and to learn about the War of 1812 through his experience at sea. Students can see how a boy from Boston, just like them, learned lessons of teamwork, service, and sacrifice. The story of David Debias is the foundation for a new summer camp program piloted in 2018. The Museum is developing new in school and out-of-school programs to maximize the opportunity that access to the Ship presents. We will pilot the new programs in 2019. Year round programming offers enrichment opportunities for students to help lower the achievement gap which has, in part, been attributed to unequal access to summer and afterschool enrichment. The Museum is committed to building stronger ties to Boston’s Public School community. We are working closely with Boston school and camp administrators, curriculum coordinators, and teachers to better understand their needs and develop suitable programs. The Museum is collaborating with community organizations serving Boston students, to increase our capacity to serve the city’s youngest citizens. The USS Constitution Museum sees its educational mission as paramount. Our goal is to provide students and Boston students in particular, with accessible, hands-on, and relevant learning experiences that connect them to Boston’s history. By challenging students to be creative, to work as a team, to explore, design, and think, our programs help today’s learners become tomorrow’s leaders. Your support will inspire the next generation of aspiring engineers, historians, teachers, and citizens.