Book Description

In this book the author captures all the familiar figures and symbols of Philadelphia's rich eighteenth-century past as well as the drama of American history's greatest scenes, from the clandestine meetings of the Second Continental Congress to the drafting of the United States Constitution, to the final days of Philadelphia's prestigious role as the nation's capital. The author's experience as an historical interpreter of Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, enables him to take the reader into the Congress to hear the stirring debates over American independence, into the spirits of Philadelphia's most unforgettable citizens, and finally into the streets on a delightful walking tour of this historic city. Contents: The City: Philadelphia: The Cradle of American Liberty; The Symbols: The Liberty Bell: Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land; Independence Hall: Birthplace of a Nation; The Patriots: William Penn and the Spirit of Brotherly Love; Benjamin Lay, Quaker Abolitionist; Benjamin Franklin, the Image-maker; Betsy Ross, Seamstress of a Revolution; Samuel Wetherill and the Free Quaker Testimony to the American Revolution; Bishop William White, his Revolutionary Theology and the Founding of the Protestant Episcopal Church and Academy; The Stewards of Philadelphia's History and a Walking Tour of Independence National Historical Park; Endnotes; Selected Bibliography; Index.