{"id":360,"date":"2016-06-30T00:01:06","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T04:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/usparks\/?p=360"},"modified":"2016-07-05T12:00:37","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T16:00:37","slug":"independence-national-historical-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/usparks\/independence-national-historical-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Independence National Historical Park: More than just a cracked bell"},"content":{"rendered":"

M<\/span>ost Americans are probably familiar with famous quotations that have helped to define the American way of life, even if they don\u2019t know where the quotes came from.<\/p>\n

They remember phrases like \u201call men are created equal,\u201d \u201clife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,\u201d \u201cwe the people of the United States\u201d and \u201cto form a more perfect union,\u201d phrases authored by Thomas Jefferson and first proclaimed in the Assembly Room of Philadelphia\u2019s Independence Hall.<\/p>\n

But Americans don\u2019t know how close they came to reciting passages from another document written by the same \u201cfounder\u201d and first read in the same room:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe beg leave further to assure your Majesty that \u2026 our breasts retain too tender a regard for the kingdom from which we derive our origin to request such a reconciliation as might in any manner be inconsistent with her dignity or her welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now recognized as? mixed signals from a fledgling government, the Olive Branch Petition was a proclamation of loyalty to King George III and a plea for peace. It was originally authored by firebrand Jefferson and later edited and adopted in Independence Hall by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775. A week earlier Congress had authorized the invasion of British Canada. A day later it issued a declaration explaining to the king why colonists had taken up arms against him.<\/p>\n

Independence Hall is commonly recognized as a place of revolutionary zeal where great men worked toward a common goal that literally changed the world. But in the 18th century, Independence Hall was a political sausage-making factory where ideas, loyalties, opportunities and contradictory opinions were mashed into a meatgrinder. What came out \u2014 the political structures that now define American freedoms and responsibilities \u2014 was hardly inevitable or achieved through some grand agreement.<\/p>\n

So last weekend when Albert Grazier<\/strong> of Wilkes-Barre tried to tell his granddaughter, Ella, 7, why Independence Hall was worth visiting, he had trouble explaining it in a way she could understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought this would be easier,\u201d he said, on a sidewalk outside. \u201cYou could say it\u2019s important because it\u2019s where Americans proclaimed their freedom, but it\u2019s also where British subjects stood up to defend their king and argued against the Revolutionary War.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ella looked confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt her age, I guess it\u2019s best to just say the building was an important place where people met to form the United States,\u201d Mr. Grasier said.<\/p>\n

Today, Independence Hall is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park, 1-square mile of American history administered by the National Park Service and included on the United Nations\u2019 list of World Heritage Sites. With exteriors restored to resemble, if not replicate, their 18th century roots, the urban park is a cluster of historically significant landmarks well worth a stroll through its streets whether or not you can recite patriotic passages.<\/p>\n

All Independence National Historical Park sites are free, although a few are open by appointment only. Here\u2019s a look at a few.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/a>
The southern entrance to Independence Hall is adjacent to Independence Square, where modern-day re-enactors explain to tourists their characters’ role in history <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Assembly Room at Independence Hall is among the most important locations in the United States. In this room in 1776 the Continental Congress declared independence from Britain, and in 1787 the U.S. Constitution was debated and signed. (Source: NPS) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Independence Hall<\/strong>
\n520 Chestnut St.<\/p>\n

With all its nation-building heritage, it\u2019s often forgotten that the structure was built to house the province of Pennsylvania\u2019s legislature and was called the Pennsylvania State House, serving all branches of state government until 1799. Following heated arguments about the building\u2019s design, the red-brick Georgian edifice was constructed piecemeal from 1732 to 1751 as funding became available. It is symmetrical and proportional in the common style of the day. Its distinctive clock was added to the steeple in 1753.<\/p>\n

Children are taught that in the Hall\u2019s Assembly Room, the Continental Congress declared independence from Britain and adopted the U.S. Constitution. But that\u2019s not the whole story.<\/p>\n

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Independence National Historical Park<\/h2>\n

The park includes 30 non-contiguous sites spread over 1 mile of Philadelphia. Entry is free to all sites, but each has its own seasonal admission hours and some are open for tour groups only or by appointment. Get details on all of the park sites at the Independence Visitor Center.<\/p>\n

41 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (6th and Market streets)<\/p>\n

800-537-7676<\/p>\n

Official Website<\/a><\/p>\n