Philadelphia at the Center of Revolution
We trick ourselves by thinking that the past had to happen
the way it did, into thinking that the American Revolution was inevitable. Totally
different results and consequences could have spun out of it. Indeed, the colonials
argued among themselves about rebellion. About 1/3rd of them, the
colonial Tories, stood by Britain. Another 1/3rd, the Patriots, sought
independence, and a rest of them remained neutral. Like today, disagreements
about politics and change tore apart families and communities up and down the
Atlantic seaboard. Much of the intellectual fervor centered in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia nurtured a yeasty think tank for rebellion and democracy
as debates rang through the streets, meeting rooms, and taverns. From the
beginning, Philadelphia attracted political thinkers and then hosted the
delegates who invented a revolutionary government. Ancient Greek and Enlightenment
philosophers inspired the colonials to revolt and to create a new form of
government. At Philadelphia, the intellectual reasons and emotional appeals for
the rebellion and establishment of a democracy flourished.
A unique colony, Philadelphia was founded for religious
freedom and tolerance. Given by King Charles II in 1682 to Quaker William Penn
and his Friends, Philadelphia quickly thrived as a business and intellectual
center for the colonies. Its lively port, its central location between the
north and south colonies, its gateway to the productive western lands, and its
embrace of the many peoples who flocked there created a vibrancy that anchored
the tumult of the second half of the 18th century.
It was one thing for rebels in Massachusetts to start
shooting at the Redcoats. It was another thing altogether for a new Congress to
fund and prosecute a revolution while governing on the fly. Much of the debate and
planning happened in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence
Hall. Some of the most important moments in the founding of our republic occurred
at this State House. The drafting of the Declaration of Independence in 1775,
organizing the army, and then the creation of the Constitution in 1787-1788 all
took place here. Philadelphia held a unique position for the rebellion and the
nascent republic. Actions taken there drive us to ourselves today.
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| Independence Hall in Philadelphia (Photo by Hunner) |
The Continental Congresses
Responding to the Intolerable Acts which punished Boston for
its Tea Party, Benjamin Franklin called for the First Continental Congress to
meet at the Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia beginning September 5, 1774. This
Congress issued a “Declaration and Resolves of the First Congress” which declared
“That the foundation of English liberty, and of all free government, is a right
in the people to participate in their legislative council.”[1] Although
a birthright for Englishmen, political representation remained elusive for the
colonials. To force the issue with Parliament, the First Continental Congress
called for the boycott of British goods and for communities to form committees
to monitor compliance. These grass roots units served as the organizational and
communication network that bound the disparate colonies together. With these
and other actions, the First Continental Congress disbanded in October 1774.
Several months later, the American Revolutionary War erupted around Boston (as described
in the previous posting on the Minute Man National Historical Park). War dramatically
altered the next congress.
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| Benjamin Franklin as shown at the Portrait Gallery in Independence National Historical Park (Photo by Hunner) |
The Second Continental Congress convened on May 19, 1775 at the Pennsylvania State House. The State House, built in the 1730s, served as a seat of government first for the colony and then for the Revolution. This Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III proclaiming American loyalty to Britain, which the king rejected. Instead, the King declared that the colonies were in revolt and ordered his army in Boston to treat the colonials as “open and avowed enemies.” Not surprisingly, this poured fuel on the revolutionary fire.
In anticipation of a growing conflict, the Second Congress created
the Continental Army on June 14 with Virginia delegate George Washington its
commander-in-chief. Congress chose Washington because he had distinguished
himself as a military leader in the French and Indian War and because Virginia played
a leadership role in the revolt. From Philadelphia, Washington wrote to his
wife Martha: “It has been determined in Congress that the whole army raised for
the defense of the American cause shall be put under my Care, and that it is
necessary for me to proceed immediately to Boston to take upon me the command
of it.”[2] He
rushed north to Boston.
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| George Washington at Portrait Gallery (Photo by Hunner) |
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| Martha Washington at Portrait Gallery (Photo by Hunner) |
Congress in the spring of 1776 defiantly moved to declare
independence, to seek foreign allies, and to unite the colonies in North
America. A “Committee of Five” led by Thomas Jefferson drafted a resolution
which the Congress debated in a stifling June heat wave.
The Declaration of Independence
In contrast to European governments, the Declaration
proclaimed that “all people are created equal,” that governments derived their
“just Powers from the consent of the people,” and that people needed to “alter
or abolish” a government which curtailed their rights. After establishing the natural
and legal rights of people to seek freedom from an unjust government, the rest
of the Declaration listed twenty-seven specific abuses perpetrated by the King
and Parliament against the colonies.
Fifty-seven representatives from all thirteen colonies
signed the Declaration of Independence in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania
State House on July 4, 1776. The declaration launched our democracy and has
inspired people from around the world with its call for equality and freedom;
however written by slave owners and devoid of a woman author or signer, this call
for liberty and freedom is still a work in progress.
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| Declaration of Independence fro the British colonies (http://www.founding.com/repository/imgLib/20071018_declaration.jpg) |
Over the years, people from Wallace Stegner to Ken Burns
have called the National Park Service “American’s Best Idea.” Former NPS chief
historian Dwight Pitcaithley disagrees: “Is it really the best idea we ever had
of all the ideas in this democracy? It seems to me that Thomas Jefferson’s 2nd
paragraph in the Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator
with certain unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness’ is really the best idea we ever had.”[3] As good as our Parks are, this best idea took shape at Independence Hall in 1776.
Visitors to Independence National Historical Park today wait
in long lines to view the Liberty Bell. This cherished symbol of American
Independence was cast in 1752 in England with the legend “Proclaim LIBERTY
throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The bell often
summoned lawmakers to legislative sessions. To mark the reading of the
Declaration of Independence on July 8th, the Liberty Bell rang in
the State House tower.
Although the delegates from the colonies agreed on the
Declaration, it needed public support as well. To help rally Virginians to the
cause of independence, Patrick Henry gave a rousing speech to the House of
Burgess in Richmond. Complaining about British soldiers on American soil, Henry
posed: “They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the
British ministry have been so long forging…. We have done everything that could
be done to avert the storm which is now coming on…. Three million of people,
armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we
possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.”
Henry concluded: “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give
me liberty, or give me death.”[4]
With such rousing orations, public support for the rebellion rose.
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| Patrick Henry calling for revolution (http://dailysignal.com/wp-content/uploads/150323_HenrySpeech.jpg) |
In the winter of 1776 and again in the fall of 1777, Congress
retreated from advancing Redcoats and abandoned Philadelphia for Baltimore. Threatened
by hostile forces, Congress continued to draft the “Articles of Confederation
and Perpetual Union” amid the chaos of war.
The Articles of Confederation
The debate on what type of national government to create pitted
populous states against smaller ones, northern against southern states, and those
who favored a strong national government versus those who wanted a weak one.
The smaller states prevailed on representation as each state got one vote in
the Confederation. When Congress forwarded the Articles to the colonies, Virginia
ratified it first on December 16, 1777 while Maryland approved it last on
February 2, 1781. As the Revolutionary War waged across the colonies, Congress
struggled to finance the war with borrowed money.
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| Front page of the Articles of Confederation (Courtesy Library of Congress) |
The Articles established the rules and duties for the
national government which included prosecuting war and seeking peace, negotiating
diplomatic and trade agreements, and settling disputes between states. However,
it was obvious that the Articles did not work. They did not give the national
government the power to raise money through taxes. No state honored all of their financial
obligations, and at times, Georgia and New Jersey refused to pay anything.
Consequently, the Confederation government had little money to pay even the
interest on its foreign debt. By 1786, the United States was defaulting on its
debts as they came due. Changes had to happen. The resultant creation of the
Constitution of the United States at Independence Hall in 1787 is next week’s
posting.
Congress designated Independence Hall a National Historic
Site in 1943 followed by National Historical Park status in 1948. The following
sites are some, but not all, of the buildings that comprise the Independence
National Historical Park:
Independence Visitor Center - 525 Market Street
Independence Hall - 520 Chestnut Street
Liberty Bell Center - 526 Market Street
Portrait Gallery- 420 Chestnut Street
City Tavern - 138 S. 2nd Street
Park Headquarters - 143 S. 3rd Street
Millions of people from around the world have driven through
Philadelphia, stood in line to view the Liberty Bell, toured Independence Hall
and the Portrait Gallery, and visited the other sites of this National
Historical Park.
Its history drives us.
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| Driving by Independence Hall (Photo by Hunner) |
Independence National Historical Park
143 South Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 965-2305
http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm
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