American tourism: Vote yes!
I used to work with an expat Australian man who was a naturalized American citizen. He was very interested in and knowledgeable about all era of American history. He explained to me that immigrants sometimes make the best patriots because they make the choice to become Americans. He was very proud and grateful to be American.
Sometimes I think about what he says every time Brigid goes crazy over American history. I'm not surprised by her natural curiosity, but already at her age she is driven to know more and more about America, maybe like an immigrant.
This summer we had a few days to visit some historical places, but the best of these for Brigid was Independence Hall. Though we haven't formally studied this part of history, she has really latched on to the stories about the Declaration of Independence, probably due to her and her brother's regular watching of the movie musical 1776. I admit to being a bit of a killjoy, interrupting each viewing with historical facts (Martha Jefferson was bedridden during this time; there are no contemporary accounts of John Adams being "obnoxious and disliked," only his own late-in-life memoirs; the portrayal of John Dickinson and absence of his wife Mary who was actually there was..."We get it mom!"), but I still enjoy a good historical sing-a-long!
I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we here now rehearse in Philadelphia
More after the jump
We could not get tickets to get inside of Independence Hall during the regular park hours. I tried to reserve them online earlier in the week, but there were none available for the afternoon we would be in Philadelphia. Our best hope was to join one of the walk-up tours that started at 5 pm. Our European trips seem to have permanently changed the way I do tourism with the kids. Before, my approach was something more along "We have to see all the important things!" Now I look at the time we have, and prioritize what we would like to see or do, and then do what we can. That meant that for the one afternoon we had in Philadelphia, we would just see Independence Hall.
After parking, we arrived in the Independence square area with enough time to watch one of the Park Service's short movies in the air conditioned theaters. Myles and I watched one, Choosing Sides: Young Voices of the Revolution, based on diaries and letters written by young people who lived around Philadelphia during and after the war. It was a decent exploration of the feelings of Loyalists, Undecideds, and Patriots in their own words, but spoken by actors. Brigid and Randy watched Independence, a slightly longer film that spanned from 1774 to 1800. I asked her how she liked it, and she said it was okay, though she really only wanted to see more about the Declaration of Independence, and lost interest as the movie went beyond that.
We still had some more time before we wanted to join the lines, so we walked around a little bit to see the Liberty Bell.
And some recent-ish excavation of the foundation of the President's House, the mansion where President Washington lived in Philadelphia. The archaeological dig (found during construction of the new center for the Liberty Bell) revealed the main and slave and servant quarters. The accompanying placards detailed how President was able to bring his slaves from his Virginia estate, and rotate them every few months so that none of them could meet the residency requirement of Pennsylvania and then be freed.
This part of the exhibit reminded me of the Archäologische Fenster in Aachen.
We were then able to join the line for ticketless admission. It wasn't too bad, considering this was a Friday afternoon in late July.
We were inside by 5:30. Our first stop was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Room. The Park Service Ranger acting as our guide pointed out the coat of arms at the center of the room. Before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it bore the King's coat of arms. Some patriots ripped it out of the room, defaced it and eventually burned it as an act of defiance.
While we crossed by the tower stairs to enter the Assembly Room, Brigid and I whispered "Well, if I'm the one to do it / They'll run their quill pens through it..." Were we there for history or movie tourism?
At last we were in the Assembly Room, and the Ranger pointed out where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and signed. The Park Service had painstakingly furnished the room with period furniture, but only one piece, George Washington's Rising Sun Chair, was known to have been in the room during any of the 18th century events.
Brigid lingered a moment longer, to sing quietly "Vote yes! / Vote yes! / Vote for Indenpendency!"
Sometimes I think about what he says every time Brigid goes crazy over American history. I'm not surprised by her natural curiosity, but already at her age she is driven to know more and more about America, maybe like an immigrant.
This summer we had a few days to visit some historical places, but the best of these for Brigid was Independence Hall. Though we haven't formally studied this part of history, she has really latched on to the stories about the Declaration of Independence, probably due to her and her brother's regular watching of the movie musical 1776. I admit to being a bit of a killjoy, interrupting each viewing with historical facts (Martha Jefferson was bedridden during this time; there are no contemporary accounts of John Adams being "obnoxious and disliked," only his own late-in-life memoirs; the portrayal of John Dickinson and absence of his wife Mary who was actually there was..."We get it mom!"), but I still enjoy a good historical sing-a-long!
I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we here now rehearse in Philadelphia
More after the jump
We could not get tickets to get inside of Independence Hall during the regular park hours. I tried to reserve them online earlier in the week, but there were none available for the afternoon we would be in Philadelphia. Our best hope was to join one of the walk-up tours that started at 5 pm. Our European trips seem to have permanently changed the way I do tourism with the kids. Before, my approach was something more along "We have to see all the important things!" Now I look at the time we have, and prioritize what we would like to see or do, and then do what we can. That meant that for the one afternoon we had in Philadelphia, we would just see Independence Hall.
After parking, we arrived in the Independence square area with enough time to watch one of the Park Service's short movies in the air conditioned theaters. Myles and I watched one, Choosing Sides: Young Voices of the Revolution, based on diaries and letters written by young people who lived around Philadelphia during and after the war. It was a decent exploration of the feelings of Loyalists, Undecideds, and Patriots in their own words, but spoken by actors. Brigid and Randy watched Independence, a slightly longer film that spanned from 1774 to 1800. I asked her how she liked it, and she said it was okay, though she really only wanted to see more about the Declaration of Independence, and lost interest as the movie went beyond that.
We still had some more time before we wanted to join the lines, so we walked around a little bit to see the Liberty Bell.
And some recent-ish excavation of the foundation of the President's House, the mansion where President Washington lived in Philadelphia. The archaeological dig (found during construction of the new center for the Liberty Bell) revealed the main and slave and servant quarters. The accompanying placards detailed how President was able to bring his slaves from his Virginia estate, and rotate them every few months so that none of them could meet the residency requirement of Pennsylvania and then be freed.
This part of the exhibit reminded me of the Archäologische Fenster in Aachen.
We were then able to join the line for ticketless admission. It wasn't too bad, considering this was a Friday afternoon in late July.
We were inside by 5:30. Our first stop was the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Room. The Park Service Ranger acting as our guide pointed out the coat of arms at the center of the room. Before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it bore the King's coat of arms. Some patriots ripped it out of the room, defaced it and eventually burned it as an act of defiance.
While we crossed by the tower stairs to enter the Assembly Room, Brigid and I whispered "Well, if I'm the one to do it / They'll run their quill pens through it..." Were we there for history or movie tourism?
At last we were in the Assembly Room, and the Ranger pointed out where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated and signed. The Park Service had painstakingly furnished the room with period furniture, but only one piece, George Washington's Rising Sun Chair, was known to have been in the room during any of the 18th century events.
Brigid lingered a moment longer, to sing quietly "Vote yes! / Vote yes! / Vote for Indenpendency!"
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