The National Archives at Philadelphia (one of 15 facilities nationwide in the National Archives network), The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) and the National Constitution Center invite Philadelphia-area law students to participate in a summer legal fellowship program exploring the constitutional and cultural legacy of the 1875 Civil Rights Act. Legal fellows will build off of the excellent work accomplished by noted historian John Hope Franklin and graduate students in Villanova’s public history program. Legal fellows will work with specialists at the National Archives, ConSource, and the National Constitution Center to research the state and federal court cases that shaped the post-Reconstruction understanding of civil rights.

The research accomplished through the Early Civil Rights Legal Fellowship program will be adapted for use by legal professionals, educators, and museum specialists. The research will also be used to create online and on-the-ground museum exhibits and public lectures, both locally in Philadelphia and nationwide.

Legal fellows will be responsible for conducting intensive legal and historical research – locating historical documents through online and on-site archival research. Fellows will use identified historical materials to then provide contextual historical information for known cases informing, challenging and/or enforcing the 1875 Civil Rights Act.

Details of the internship are flexible -- both part-time and full-time options are available.  Preference will be given to students with degrees in history or political science. Applicants should have extensive research and writing experience. Fellows must commit to spending the summer in Philadelphia.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and 10 page writing sample to ConSource Executive Director, Julie Silverbrook, at julie.silverbrook@consource.org.