Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of America's most revered symbols of freedom, date back to the British rule of the American colonies. The main structure of Independence Hall was completed in 1732, and the final casting of the Liberty Bell was completed in 1753. Visited by over two million people yearly, these historic icons have been used as backdrops for many political and social demonstrations and speeches. Filled with images from the archives of Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia Department of Records, and collections from around the country, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell illustrates how these two historic relics generate a sense of pride and patriotism set forth by the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Independence Hall is a place Americans think they know well. Within its walls the Continental Congress declared independence in 1776, and in 1787 the Founding Fathers drafted the U.S. Constitution there. Painstakingly restored to evoke these momentous events, the building appears to have passed through time unscathed, from the heady days of the American Revolution to today. But Independence Hall is more than a symbol of the young nation. Beyond this, according to Charlene Mires, it has a long and varied history of changing uses in an urban environment, almost all of which have been forgotten. In Independence Hall, Mires rediscovers and chronicles the lost history of Independence Hall, in the process exploring the shifting perceptions of this most important building in America's popular imagination. According to Mires, the significance of Independence Hall cannot be fully appreciated without assessing the full range of political, cultural, and social history that has swirled about it for nearly three centuries. During its existence, it has functioned as a civic and cultural center, a political arena and courtroom, and a magnet for public celebrations and demonstrations. Artists such as Thomas Sully frequented Independence Square when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital during the 1790s, and portraitist Charles Willson Peale merged the arts, sciences, and public interest when he transformed a portion of the hall into a center for natural science in 1802. In the 1850s, hearings for accused fugitive slaves who faced the loss of freedom were held, ironically, in this famous birthplace of American independence. Over the years Philadelphians have used the old state house and its public square in a multitude of ways that have transformed it into an arena of conflict: labor grievances have echoed regularly in Independence Square since the 1830s, while civil rights protesters exercised their right to free speech in the turbulent 1960s. As much as the Founding Fathers, these people and events illuminate the building's significance as a cultural symbol.
Carefully researched and fully documented, Independence chronicles the history of the "cradle of liberty" that is Independence National Historical Park, the historical site most closely connected with the nation's founding. Constance M. Greiff illustrates how the park was shaped by national events and conditions in Philadelphia, change and growth within the National Park Service, and the interpersonal and political struggles among the key people involved in the park's development. She traces the process by which the participants arrived at the ideas underpinning the park's creation and development, conflicting views about the purpose and scope of the park, and the resolution of those conflicts.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Describes the capitol building of the United States between 1790 and 1800 in Philadelphia. Provides historical information on the early work of Congress in establishing policies, organizing into political parties, and working with the other branches of government.
Excerpt from The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Philadelphia: A Complete Record of All the Great Events Announced by the Ringing of the Bell, From 1753 to 1835 Among the bells of the world no one has been associated with events of as great import to humanity as the Liberty Bell of the old State House (independence Hall) in Phila delphia. Its prophetic inscription, its warnings through a generation to the Government of Great Britain, its appeals to the peo ple to assemble for the redress of their grievances, and its defiant clangor that memorable day of the Declaration of our Independence, its rejoicing pealings over the completed work of the Revolution, its last tolling over the dead of the nation, gives its story an abiding interest to the nation and the world. The Assembly of Pennsylvania customarily had in its pos session a bell for official purposes, from the organization of the Province. Its ordinary use was to call the Assembly to gether morning and afternoon during its sessions, and to announce the hour of the Opening of the Courts of Justice to the people. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
