Terrorism exhibit in Philadelphia

From the sabotage of Black Tom Island in 1916 to the Sept. 11 attacks nearly a century later, more than 80 examples of domestic terrorism are part of a new exhibition at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

"Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America" runs through May 30, tracing the evolution of revolution and exploring how panic and prejudice have disrupted the balance between safeguarding civil liberties and protecting the public.

Examples of sabotage, protest and extremism from 1776 to the present and the government responses they sparked that have changed American life are presented, from the 1918 Sedition Act to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Visitors can draw their own conclusions about whether the changes have been for the better, says Peter Earnest, director of the Spy Museum and a former CIA operative.

WHAT YOU'LL SEE

Interactive polling stations, developed with the Gallup Organization, ask visitors' opinions on the nation's response to events presented in the show. Among them: Should the government have the authority to deport people suspected of supporting hostile groups? Should the FBI be allowed to investigate groups opposed to the U.S. government?

Included in the exhibit are a charred remnant of the White House torched by the British in 1814, Ku Klux Klan garments from the 1960s, and wreckage of the World Trade Center and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Some of the subject matter may be too intense for young children.

The exhibit will spark debate about the nation's current political tussles and how to learn from our past to make decisions that protect citizens from harm without destroying their individual rights, says James Doolin, an FBI agent who worked as a consultant on the exhibit with the National Constitution Center.

IF YOU GO

The Constitution Center is open daily. Admission is $12 ($8 ages 4-12); details at 215-409-6600 or at constitutioncenter.org.