Philadelphia - The Centrepiece of American History
Washington is America’s political centre, the capital and scene of many mysterious shenanigans at the Whitehouse. New York is the centre of commerce and finance, home to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Philadelphia on the other hand is best known for being the birthplace of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and having lots of street vendors peddeling nokia phones for sale. Yet Pennsylvania’s biggest city was once the cultural and political centre-piece of the New World.
Just a two hour drive south of New York, Philadelphia was the setting for the signing of the declaration of Independence in 1776 after US forces defeated the British in the American Civil War. Four of the founding fathers are buried there in Christ Church Burial Ground - the most famous being Benjamin Franklin.
After the signing of the declaration, Philadelphia’s colossal bell was named the Liberty Bell and is the most famous symbol of the city. The 900Kg bell is on public display in the Liberty Bell Centre outside Independence Hall. Made in London in 1751 to commemorate religious and political freedom, it was later adopted by the movement for abolition of slavery.
According to legend, the bell tolled on several important occasions, such as the signing of the declaration and the deaths of John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson in the early 19th century. The original bell however, had developed a crack and had to be replaced by a sister bell in 1753. The gash down the front is the main focus of attention.
For all the intriguing and influential history in Philadelphia, one of the most thought-provoking and interesting elements of this forgotten ground is a Sycamore tree in Washington Square. But this is no ordinary tree. Planted in 1975, the Bicentennial Moon tree has grown from seed that was carried to the Moon by astronaut, Stuart A. Roosa in the 1971 space expedition of Apollo 14. From one new world to another in almost 200 years and one has to ask, is this the America the founding fathers envisaged?