Today we went to Independence Square in Philadelphia. What a wild area of contrasts. In this 20 square block area there are the huge tall buildings of the 1700’s (Like Independence Hall), which max out at about 5 stories, surrounded by 20 story skyscrapers (many of which are made of brick, like the older buildings, but tower above them), throwing them into deep shadow as the sun goes down.
We got to Philly at about 10 this morning, under gray, but clearing, skies. Our first stop was the visitor center, which had some interesting displays. The only thing that we did that required a ticket was the Independence Hall tour, which actually has time reservations on the tickets (which are free, but you have to have them, because they can only take so many people in at a time). We got tickets for the 12 noon tour, which gave us almost an hour and a half. We went and saw the Liberty Bell, which is in its own building between the visitor center and Independence Hall. In fact, where the bell is, in its glass-enclosed alcove, you can see Independence Hall right behind it through the glass. Pretty cool!
There were a few things that impressed me about the Liberty Bell. First, the bell is really roughly made by modern standards. If it were cast today, it would be polished to a high gloss, and the surface would be perfectly even, and even mirror like. The casting back then, however, was not the same as today. The surface of the bell is very uneven, with many high and low spots. It’s just interesting how far we have come, even in things like metallurgy. The second thing that impressed/amazed me is that the people who wrote the placards in the Liberty Bell Center said that they couldn’t figure out why the designers of the bell had them put the inscription on the top: Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X. This is a quote from Leviticus 25:10. I guess the problem that they had was that the bell was ordered in 1751, when independence wasn’t seriously considered by the colonies. But one web site that I found states the probable reasons very well: “The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania’s original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn’s ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws. As the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn’s Charter, the quotation “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding “proclaim liberty” is, “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year.” What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?” (www.ushistory.org/libertybell/)
As we were wandering around looking at things while we were waiting for 12 noon, I noticed a persistent theme throughout many exhibits: Slavery. In many places people like George Washington and other patriots were identified as owners of “enslaved african descendents.” I understand that Washington owned slaves (all of which he set free in his will, although he legally couldn’t set Martha’s free that she had inherited), but that wasn’t his primary characteristic, as so many of these placards seemed to imply. It was just interesting to me, because of something that I said to Sharla when we were at Mt. Rushmore; that so many kids these days have kind of twisted ideas about those faces because of what they are being taught today in our deconstructionist classrooms. When they see Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, if they recognize them at all, I’m afraid that their first thoughts are: slave holder, slave holder, no idea who that guy is, and Lincoln, who freed the slaves. I understand the issue of slavery, but Washington was a product of his time who was still very forward looking, and who was often uncomfortable with the conflict between the slave trade and the ideals proclaimed in the Declaration. His contemporaries almost universally held him up with admiration for his strong character, and his self-sacrifice on behalf of the fledgeling country. Jefferson was much the same in his view of slavery, and was included on Mt. Rushmore for the Louisiana Purchase, which more than doubled the size of the US in a single motion. Roosevelt was included on Mt. Rushmore because of his work on the Panama Canal. And, of course, Lincoln did free the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, and was included on Mt. Rushmore for that, and for the fact that he restored the Union to wholeness, regardless of the high cost to himself. I’m not a fan of idealizing our forefathers (they were real, flesh and blood people, with quirks, warts, and all), but I guess I’m just concerned that the pendulum is swinging so hard the other way that the positive and admirable characteristics that these men had, the laying down of their lives so that we could live in a free country (free even to criticize them, and paint them with a dark brush), and their laying down in the Constitution the foundations that did allow for slavery to be abolished, will be totally forgotten.
The tour of Independence Hall was very interesting. To stand where the Continental Congress hammered out and signed both the Declaration and the Constitution was very interesting. We also went over to the building where the house and senate met between 1790 and 1800 while the buildings in Washington DC were built. The house was in the lower room, and the senate met upstairs. That’s why the US Senate is often referred to as the “Upper House,” even though they are both on the same floor in DC. (By the way, I had a question going into the tour which they answered before I could even ask it: What was Independence Hall used for before the Continental Congress? The Answer: It was the Assembly Building for the colony of Pennsylvania. During that time Philadelphia was the colonial capital, and that was where the business of the colony was conducted. The Continental Congress was allowed to use the room they met in for their business. After they were done, it was used for State business as the state capital, and, after 1790, as the captial building for the nation until 1800.)
After Independence Hall, we had a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for lunch, purchased from a street vendor. Pretty tasty. We then headed up to the Constitution Center. We didn’t realize it when our plans were made, but today just happened to be the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution (September 17, 1787), so entrance to the place was free, instead of $12 a person! They had a “hall of statues,” which include life-sized bronze statues of all of the memebers of the Congress, both those who signed and those who didn’t. George Washington was standing by the table where the signing was to take place, and Sharla and I each added our signatures to the copy that they had there under Georges (and the ranger’s) watchful eye. We then saw a live show called “Freedom Rising,” which basically focused on the significance of the Constitution. It was very good.
On our way back to the Second Bank Building, which contains an art gallery of portraits of people involved in the fight for freedom and writing the Constitution, we stopped by the Christ Church Cemetary, where Benjamin Franklin is buried. It is two blocks from the church itself, because that ground was too marshy to be used as a cemetery. Anyway, we got there after closing, but Mr. Franklin is buried right inside the steel fence, so we could still see the grave.
Getting out of Philadelphia at rush hour was an experience, but we made it in one piece, and drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania where we are spending the night. We are going to see Hershey’s Chocolate World tomorrow before we head to Gettysburg on our way to Kentucky.
Good night and God bless.