[Illustration: {DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR · March 3, 1949}]
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Douglas McKay, _Secretary_
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Conrad L. Wirth, _Director_
_HISTORICAL HANDBOOK NUMBER SEVENTEEN_
This publication is one of a series of handbooks describing the
historical and archeological areas in the National Park System
administered by the National Park Service of the United States
Department of the Interior. It is printed by the Government Printing
Office, and may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents,
Washington 25, D. C. Price 25 cents
INDEPENDENCE
National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
_by
Edward M. Riley_
[Illustration: {Liberty Bell}]
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORICAL HANDBOOK SERIES No. 17
Washington, D. C., 1954
_The National Park System, of which Independence National Historical
Park is a unit, is dedicated to the conservation of America’s scenic,
scientific, and historic heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the
people._
[Illustration: {NATIONAL PARK SERVICE · DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR}]
_Contents_
THE PROVINCIAL STATE HOUSE 2
TWO CENTURIES OF INDEPENDENCE HALL 7
THE STATE HOUSE AND INDEPENDENCE 11
“TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION” 20
AFTER 1800 31
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE 37
EVOLUTION OF A SHRINE 41
STORY OF A SYMBOL 52
GUIDE TO THE AREA 61
HOW TO REACH THE PARK 67
SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC 67
ADMINISTRATION 67
RELATED AREAS 68
[Illustration: _Independence Hall._ Photo by R. G. Magill.]
“_The United States was created in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, when
the Continental Congress voted the final form of the Declaration of
Independence. The United States was perpetuated on September 17, 1787,
when the Federal Convention completed its work on the Constitution and
referred it, through Congress, to the individual states for
ratification. Both these great decisions were made in the same chamber
in what is now called Independence Hall, but was then the Pennsylvania
State House. It would still be merely the old State House if
independence had not been achieved and if the Constitution had not
been ratified and put into effect. The noble building, so venerable to
later ages, might not even have survived, but might have been swept
away in the surging growth of a modern city. In that case, a few
students of history would sometimes remember the site as the stage of
those lost causes. Instead, Pennsylvania’s State House has become
Independence Hall for the entire United States. Nor is that all. On
account of the Declaration of Independence, it is a shrine honored
wherever the rights of men are honored. On account of the
Constitution, it is a shrine cherished wherever the principles of
self-government on a federal scale are cherished._”—Carl van Doren.
_The Provincial State House_
Independence Hall was originally the State House of Pennsylvania. For a
half century after the establishment of the Province, the government had
no official building. The Assembly, a small legislative body, was
compelled to meet in private dwellings rented annually for the purpose
or in the old City Hall at Second and High (now Market) Streets.
In order to meet the needs of the Province, funds were appropriated for
the construction of the State House in 1729. At the same time a
committee, consisting of Speaker of the Assembly Andrew Hamilton,
Assemblyman Dr. John Kearsley, and Councilman Thomas Lawrence, was named
to supervise the job. Strong disagreement arose between Hamilton and
Kearsley, with each supporting a different location and plan. This
disagreement delayed actually beginning work on the building until 1732.
In that year the Assembly approved the plan Hamilton advocated and
selected the south side of Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth
Streets as the site. This was then on the outskirts of the city.
In the 1730’s, Philadelphia had a population of almost 11,500 people.
Only Boston, with 13,000, was larger; while New York was third, with
8,500. The area of what was to become Independence Square contained only
a few small houses. The uneven ground was covered on the north with
whortleberry bushes; to the south, across Walnut Street, stood a peach
orchard.
It is apparent that the plans from which the State House was constructed
were drawn by Edmund Woolley, master carpenter, who was also the
principal builder under the direction of Andrew Hamilton. To these two
men go the major credit for the design and erection of one of the most
beautiful administrative buildings of the Colonial period.
Building the State House was a slow process. The Assembly was not able
to meet in the new building until September 1735. Even at that time the
walls had not been paneled, nor had all of the window panes been
installed. Difficulties of various kinds, especially the scarcity of
skilled workmen, kept the building in an unfinished state. Finally, in
the summer of 1741, the impatient Assembly ordered that the walls and
windows of their chamber be finished at once and the remainder of the
building completed without undue delay. Despite this order, plans for
completing the Supreme Court chamber were not submitted until November
1743. The Council Chamber on the upper floor was not ready for occupancy
until February 1748. It appears probable that the building was completed
about this date.
During construction of the State House the old custom of “raising
feasts” was followed. When the main timbers in a building were raised, a
sumptuous feast was given for the workmen in celebration of the event.
As the building of the State House progressed, there were a number of
such feasts, the cost of them borne by the Provincial government.
Shortly after the construction of the State House was started, the
Assembly ordered that office buildings be erected as wings to the main
building, for the safekeeping of the public papers of the Province.
Early in 1736 the wings on each side of the State House were practically
completed, but public officials objected strenuously to moving into
them. Despite objections, however, it is obvious that the wings were
soon occupied by various county and provincial officials. Others also
used these small buildings, for in 1739 the Library Company of
Philadelphia was granted permission to deposit its books in the upper
floor of the west wing. The Library remained there until 1773 when it
was moved to Carpenters’ Hall. Throughout the Colonial period the
doorkeeper of the Assembly and his family also lived in the west wing.
Furthermore, during the early years, Indian delegations visiting
Philadelphia were sometimes lodged in one of the wings.
These exotic tenants proved a source of worry to the Assembly. Their
carelessness with fire posed such a serious threat to public records
that, in 1759, the Assembly ordered the erection of a separate building
for the use of the Indians. It is thought that one of the two wooden
sheds built before the Revolution at the corners of Fifth and Sixth
Streets on Chestnut Street was used for this purpose.
[Illustration: _Account of Edmund Woolley with Governor John Penn
for floor plans and elevation drawings of the State House, 1735-36._
Penn Manuscripts, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.]
_1735 The Honourable John Penn, Esquier Pr To drawing the Elevation of
the Frount one End the Roof Balconey Chimney and Gorret of the
State House With the fronts and Plans of the Two offiscis And
Piazzas allso the Plans of the first and Second floors of the
State House_
_per Edmond Woolley 5″0″0_
_Reced the 22^d of July 1736 of James Steel the above mentioned five
Pounds._
_per me Edmond Woolley_
[Illustration: _Very early floor plan of the State House (first
floor above, second floor right), apparently drawn prior to erection
of tower, showing the interior stairway in south end of hallway._ In
Penn Manuscripts, Warrants and Surveys, Historical Society of
Pennsylvania.]
_Assembly Room_
_Hall_
_Supreme Court_
_Committee of Assembly’s Chamber_
_Council Chamber_
_Long Gallery_
Although the 15 years required to build the State House must have been a
source of irritation to legislators eager to occupy it, the completed
building proved the time was well spent. A most ambitious project for
that early date, it emerged a sturdily constructed brick
edifice—described at the time as a “large handsome building”—with a
facade 107 feet in length connected by closed arcades, or “piazzas,” to
wing buildings some 50 feet long. The main building had a decked gable
roof, balustraded between the chimneys and surmounted by a centrally
located cupola. The interior arrangement of the State House provided
suitable space for the various agencies of government. The first floor
contained two chambers about 40 feet square, separated by a spacious
center hall about 20 feet wide. The eastern chamber served as the
meeting place of the Assembly. This room, in the words of a contemporary
in 1774, was “finished in a neat but not elegant manner.” Since the
Assembly’s sessions were usually secret, the room was provided with a
door. The western chamber housed the Supreme Court of the Province and
was entered through open archways. The staircase to the upper floor
occupied the south end of the central hall. The Provincial Council, the
Governor’s advisory body, met in a chamber approximately 20 by 40 feet
in the southwestern corner of the upper floor. This room was separated
by a small vestibule from a chamber in the southeast corner which was
designed as a committee room of the Assembly. The entire Chestnut Street
frontage was one room, called the “gallery,” or “long room,” measuring
100 by 20 feet. The gallery was used generally for public entertainment
and banquets.
It is apparent that the State House was not elegantly furnished. Chairs,
tables, curtains, screens, and other items purchased for the building
were never unduly expensive. However, the silver inkstand, purchased
from Philip Syng, of Philadelphia, for the table of the Speaker of the
Assembly, and still preserved in Independence Hall, was a most unusual
item which cost £25-16-0. The building appears to have been heated
originally by open fireplaces for which stoves were later substituted.
Lighting was not a serious problem since the meetings rarely continued
until darkness; when they did, the Assembly ordered that candles be
brought in. There is no known picture of the interior of the State House
during the Colonial period; the earliest representation is a painting of
the Assembly Room by Pine and Savage, “The Congress Voting
Independence,” which was executed in 1784-86.
In January 1750, shortly after the State House was completed, the
Assembly authorized the superintendents of the building to erect a tower
to contain a staircase and belfry. Edmund Woolley was entrusted with the
construction. By 1753, the tower was completed and the State House bell
(now called the Liberty Bell), ordered in 1751, was hung.
The Assembly also ordered a “large Clock to strike on the Bell.”
Subsequently, its works were installed in the attic of the State House,
with clock faces in the end walls just below the eaves. Under the face
of that clock in the west end, a masonry structure resembling a tall
case clock was constructed, the hands of both timepieces being moved by
rods connected with the mechanism in the attic. The steeple bell,
however, was not used to strike the hours. A second bell was ordered by
the Assembly, in 1752, for that purpose and was placed in a turret on
the main roof just before the tower.
[Illustration: _Andrew Hamilton, an eminent lawyer and Speaker of
the Assembly, superintended the building of the State House._ From a
portrait copied by Adolf Wertmuller (1751-1811) from an original now
lost. Courtesy Historical Society of Pennsylvania.]
In February 1752, in order to accommodate its committees, the Assembly
ordered the erection of a suitable room adjoining the southeast corner
of the building. Work was begun immediately, and the room was completed
some time during the following year. Demolished probably around 1812,
the chamber was described by a contemporary as “a very elegant
apartment.” This room also served as the library of the Assembly and was
well equipped with sets of English statutes along with works on history
and literature.
With the completion of the committee room and library, no additional
structures were erected in the State House Yard during the Colonial
period. However, other buildings were contemplated. On February 20,
1736, the Assembly reserved the lots on Chestnut Street at the corners
of Fifth and Sixth Streets for the erection of a city hall and county
courthouse within the next 20 years, but these buildings were not
constructed until several years after the Revolution.
_Two Centuries of Independence Hall_
[Illustration: _Plan of the State House, 1732, attributed to Andrew
Hamilton. The elevation of the main building shows it substantially
as first built. A skimpy plan like this seems inadequate to people
of the 20th century, accustomed to meticulous architectural
drawings. Detailed drafts had not been introduced in the 1700’s;
rather, the master builders in the field were a combination of what
we would call today architects, engineers, and workmen. On them lay
the burden of supplying the technical details between the simple
sketch and the finished structure. Such a man was Edmund Woolley,
master carpenter of the State House._ Courtesy Historical Society of
Pennsylvania.]
[Illustration: _The State House as it appeared in the Colonial
period, showing the wings, connecting “piazzas” with stairways, and
original steeple. As first designed (see preceding illustration) and
built, the State House had no tower or steeple. These were added
around mid-century, and a bell was ordered for the steeple in 1751.
This State House bell, which was hung in the new addition in 1753,
has since become renowned as the Liberty Bell. This drawing and the
next six are modern illustrations based on 18th-century written
descriptions and pictures._]
[Illustration: _The State House, about 1776, with wing buildings
adjoined by wooden sheds. These were used during the Revolutionary
War to store ammunition and, perhaps, to shelter Indian delegations
at various times. The wings were used as office space and, in part,
even as living quarters for the doorkeeper and his family._]
[Illustration: _By 1773, the steeple had rotted to a dangerous
extent. It had become so weak that ringing of the hell was avoided
for fear of toppling the steeple. Though the Pennsylvania Assembly
had long intended to remove this badly decayed structure, it was not
done till 1781—the year of the British surrender at Yorktown, Va.
After the steeple was removed, the brick tower was covered with a
hipped roof, shown here, and the bell hung just below it._]
[Illustration: _The wooden sheds were removed some time after 1787
to make way for the City Hall on the east (left) and County
Courthouse on the west (right). Begun in 1787 and 1789 and completed
in 1789 and 1791, respectively, these buildings fulfilled the
original plan of a city governmental center as conceived by Andrew
Hamilton. With the establishment of the temporary Federal capital in
Philadelphia, from 1790 to 1800, City Hall became the seat of the U.
S. Supreme Court and the County Courthouse became Congress Hall._]
[Illustration: _In 1812, the Pennsylvania Legislature permitted the
City and County of Philadelphia, which occupied the State House
after the Federal and State capitals moved from Philadelphia, to
pull down the east and west wings and erect in their places “modern”
office buildings, designed by the architect Robert Mills. These
buildings were used for the purposes of municipal administration and
storing records. Because of the burden on public funds, the State
House was dangerously close to being torn down at this time. It was
spared that fate when the City bought the group of buildings and the
square from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1818 for $70,000._]
[Illustration: _Lafayette’s visit, in 1824, started a move to lift
the State House from neglect and direct attention to it as a shrine.
In line with this new attitude, attempts were made to restore the
building to its original appearance. The first important step in
this direction was the restoration of a steeple to the building.
William Strickland, the famous American architect, designed a new
one which was constructed in 1828; it was not an exact replica, but
followed the general design of its predecessor removed in 1781. The
principal deviations were the installation of a clock in the steeple
and the use of more ornamentation._]
[Illustration: _Although various alterations were made to the
interior of the State House—by now, generally called Independence
Hall—in the mid-nineteenth century, appreciable exterior changes
were not made till just before 1900. Between 1896 and 1898, as part
of the City’s general program for the restoration of Independence
Square to its appearance during the Revolution, the Mills buildings
were replaced by wings and arcades which resembled those of the 18th
century. The buildings have retained this appearance to the present
day._]
[Illustration: _Second Street north from Market showing old City
Hall in left foreground, one of the meeting places of the Assembly
until the completion of the State House. Christ Church is in the
background._ Engraving by William Birch, 1799. Courtesy Historical
Society of Pennsylvania.]
_The State House and Independence_
Philadelphia, the metropolis of English America, was destined to become
even more prominent during the American Revolution. As opposition to
England’s colonial policy developed in America, the city’s location near
the center of colonial America naturally made it the focal point of
government. The long tension between the American colonies and the
mother country, which had led to occasional acts of violence in the
past, again erupted in 1773 when a group of Bostonians destroyed a
shipment of tea. Instead of making an effort to discover the nature of
the Americans’ opposition, the English Government attempted to punish
them by closing the port of Boston.
The Americans promptly chose representatives to an intercolonial
congress which was to become known as the First Continental Congress.
This body, composed of leading citizens of the colonies, gathered on
September 5, 1774, at the City Tavern before convening formally at
Carpenters’ Hall, a new building erected by the Carpenters’ Company of
Philadelphia. Reluctant to adopt a course of open defiance, the Congress
sent a petition to the King asking him to restore those rights of
Englishmen which Parliament seemed determined to take away. In answer to
the English acts of coercion, the Congress turned to economic pressure
by calling upon Americans to boycott English goods. Although the First
Continental Congress protested strongly against violations of the
“rights of Englishmen” claimed for the American colonists, no demand for
independence was made.
[Illustration: _Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Wilson, 1759. Upon the
evacuation of Philadelphia by the British, this portrait was removed
from Franklin’s house by Captain Andre and carried to England. It
was returned to America in 1906 by Earl Grey and is now in the White
House, Washington, D. C._]
After the first Congress adjourned on October 26, 1774, relations
between the colonies and the mother country grew steadily worse. On
April 19, 1775, the Minute Men of Massachusetts fought the British
forces at Lexington and Concord, thus challenging the armed might of the
British Empire. About a month later, on May 10, the Second Continental
Congress met in an atmosphere of tension in the Assembly Room of the
State House. The governing body, forced by events, moved from protest to
resistance. Under the Presidency of John Hancock, the Congress (in June)
chose George Washington to be General and Commander in Chief of the
Army. The latter, “from his usual modesty, darted into the library-room”
when his name was first suggested by John Adams. But after a unanimous
election, Washington accepted that commission in the Assembly Room and
left shortly thereafter to assume his most difficult duties. Despite the
outbreak of warfare, this session of the Continental Congress adjourned
on August 1, 1775, without a demand for independence.
When the Congress reconvened on September 5, 1775, in the State House,
King George III had already issued a proclamation (August 23, 1775)
declaring that “open and avowed rebellion” existed in the colonies. This
and other actions of the King, as well as the publication in
Philadelphia of Thomas Paine’s _Common Sense_, caused public sentiment
in favor of independence to grow rapidly in 1776. It was a difficult
task, however, to overcome the reluctance of the conservative delegates
to make an open break.
[Illustration: _Silver inkstand, still preserved in Independence
Hall, used during the signing of the Declaration of Independence._]
[Illustration: _City Tavern, where the delegates to the First
Continental Congress gathered, on the morning of September 5, 1774,
prior to their formal assembly at nearby Carpenters’ Hall._
Engraving after William Birch, 1799. Courtesy Philadelphia Free
Library.]
[Illustration: _Carpenters’ Hall, built by the Carpenters’ Company
of Philadelphia, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774._
Courtesy Philadelphia Free Library.]
[Illustration: _John Hancock, president of the Second Continental
Congress from 1775 to 1777._ Painting attributed to Charles Willson
Peale, date unknown. Copy in Independence Hall collection.]
Not until June 7, 1776, did Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, acting on
instructions from the Virginia Convention, offer a resolution declaring,
“That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and
independent States,” and that foreign alliances and a plan of
confederation ought to be created. Then, after 2 days of debate,
consideration of the resolution was postponed for several weeks.
Meanwhile, a committee, composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston was named to
draft a declaration “setting forth the causes which impelled us to this
mighty resolution.” On July 2, 1776, Lee’s resolution was adopted after
a heated debate in which Adams played a dominant role. Two days later,
the Congress formalized this act by adopting the Declaration of
Independence. On August 2, after it had been engrossed, the document was
signed by most members of Congress. These drastic and irrevocable
actions, in effect, marked the end of British authority in the American
colonies and the birth of the United States of America.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest statements of the
principles of democracy ever penned. Written largely by Thomas
Jefferson, it expressed the thoughts and feelings not only of the
assembled delegates but also of that part of the American people bent on
freedom and independence. These thoughts, expressed in the measured
cadence of Jefferson’s lines, gave the colonists a creed to be
triumphantly established: “That to secure these rights [Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness], Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Here is
the continuing principle now permanently entrenched as the heart of
American democracy.
To institute such a government required the agonies of a long, often
indecisive and frequently discouraging war. Throughout the many and hard
years of the Revolution, the Congress sat in the State House, except for
periods of danger such as the occupation of Philadelphia by the British
forces from September 1777 to June 1778. During that winter,
Washington’s small army endured untold hardships while keeping watch at
Valley Forge when the American cause appeared almost hopeless.
In 1778, however, the cause received new strength. Largely through the
astute diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin, an alliance was formed with
France; and, on August 6, 1778, Conrad Alexandre Gérard, the first
French Minister to this Nation, formally presented his credentials to
Congress in the Assembly Room.
With the flow of men, money, and supplies from France, the war was
brought to a virtual conclusion at Yorktown, Va., in 1781. When
Washington’s dispatches reporting this victory were received by the
Congress in the State House, on October 24, celebrations and general
rejoicing were held throughout Philadelphia. About a week later,
Congress was presented with 24 stands of colors captured at Yorktown.
The formation of a confederation for the new nation was an even more
difficult task than obtaining agreement to the Declaration of
Independence, and steps to form such a confederation were taken very
early in the Revolution. As a matter of fact, only 8 days after the
Declaration was adopted, a draft constitution, called the Articles of
Confederation and Perpetual Union, was first reported by a committee to
the Congress. In spite of the need for unity to meet the enemy’s threat,
the States were not willing to commit themselves to the various
obligations (small though they now seem) required in the proposed
confederation. Maryland, in particular, insisted that, as a condition of
her acquiescence, certain other States first surrender their claims to
western lands. On July 9, 1778, eight States signed the Articles of
Confederation in the Pennsylvania State House. Maryland did not accede
until 4 years later, after Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut gave
up their claims to the region which became known as the Northwest
Territory. However, the new Articles of Confederation, giving the
revolutionary government constitutional standing, did not begin their
short period of effectiveness until March 1, 1781.
This first frame of government did not attempt to form a powerful
national government; under the Articles of Confederation the States
retained almost the power of independent nations. However, the Articles
did create a Congress which could consider and legislate matters
affecting the Nation as a whole. Although they contained certain
weaknesses, they held together the 13 States long enough for responsible
leaders to discover the kind of government the United States must have.
[Illustration: _Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of
Independence._ Painting by Charles Willson Peale (c. 1791).
Independence Hall collection.]
[Illustration: _Richard Henry Lee, whose momentous resolution
adopted on July 2, 1776, was, in the words of John Adams, “the
greatest question ... ever ... debated in America, and a greater,
perhaps, never was nor will be decided among men.”_ Painting by
Charles Willson Peale, 1784. Independence Hall collection.]
[Illustration: _George Washington._ Painting by James Peale (c.
1787). Independence Hall collection.]
[Illustration: _State House as it appeared about 1776._ Lithograph
based on detail from painting by Charles Willson Peale (c. 1779).
Courtesy Philadelphia Free Library.]
During those critical years, the State House had served the new nation
well as a capitol. As already noted, it was in this building that
Congress had organized the national administration and made the
necessary plans for carrying the war through to its successful
conclusion. The Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania, meanwhile, having
graciously relinquished its accustomed room to Congress, had carried on
as best it could in a crowded space on the second floor of the State
House.
The occupation of Philadelphia by the British had been a period of
distress not only for the American cause but for the State House as
well. The building had first been used as quarters for British troops.
After the battle of Germantown, it served as a hospital for wounded
American soldiers.
These uses of the building had left it, in the words of a member of the
Congress, in “a most filthy and sordid situation,” with “the inside torn
much to pieces.” Extensive cleaning and repairs were required to refit
the building for meetings of the State Government and the Congress. The
Assembly took advantage of this need for repairs to enlarge their
temporary quarters in the southeast corner of the upper floor. This was
done by removing the partition between their chamber and the “long
room.” The new space then became approximately the same size as the
Assembly Room on the first floor.
[Illustration: _John Adams, one of the most active members of the
Continental Congress, and the “ablest advocate and defender” of the
Declaration of Independence, played a major role in the achievement
of independence._ Painting by Charles Willson Peale, before 1795.
Independence Hall collection.]
The Revolutionary period also saw an alteration on the exterior of the
State House—the removal of the badly decayed wooden steeple above the
brick tower. The Assembly considered this step as early as 1773, but the
project was not carried out until 1781. After the steeple was removed,
the brick tower was covered with a low, sloping, hipped roof, surmounted
by a slender finial.
In 1783, a body of mutinous soldiers surrounded the State House and
demanded back pay from Congress. Although the members of Congress were
unharmed, the incident led to their moving to Princeton. The Congress of
the Confederation never returned to the State House.
“_To Form a More Perfect Union_”
With the return of peace in 1783 came also postwar depression. Hard
times created discontent. By 1786, in Massachusetts, this flared into an
open insurrection known as Shays’ Rebellion. This affair (perhaps not so
serious as often painted) helped point up the weakness of Congress and
intensify the movement already begun to amend the Articles of
Confederation. A stronger central government was needed. As a result, a
convention was called by the Congress.
[Illustration: “_Congress Voting Independence, July 4, 1776._”
Painting begun by Robert E. Pine (c. 1784), and completed after his
death by Edward Savage. Courtesy Historical Society of
Pennsylvania.]
[Illustration: _Christ Church (built 1727-54) where George
Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other notables worshiped; seven
signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried in its
grounds._ Painting by William Strickland, 1811. Courtesy Historical
Society of Pennsylvania.]
The Federal Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia on May 25,
1787, in the same room in the State House where the Declaration of
Independence had been adopted. This room permitted the delegates to meet
in secret session, which suggests the seriousness the delegates attached
to their responsibilities. The Convention, composed of 55 men chosen by
the legislatures of the States, was a small group, but included the best
minds in America. As a matter of course, they chose George Washington to
be the presiding officer; his endorsement was probably the chief factor
in winning acceptance for the Constitution. The leader on the floor, and
in some ways the most effective man in the Convention, was James
Madison. His efforts were ably seconded by James Wilson, who deserves to
be ranked with Madison on the basis of actual influence on the completed
Constitution. The aged Benjamin Franklin was the seer of the group; his
great service was as peacemaker of the Convention. Gouverneur Morris,
brilliant and coherent debater, was responsible for the very apt wording
of the Constitution in its final form. Other important delegates
included George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, William Paterson, Charles
Pinckney, and Roger Sherman.
[Illustration: _Conrad Alexandre Gérard, first French Minister to
the United States, who formally presented his credentials to
Congress in Independence Hall on August 6, 1778._ Painted by Charles
Willson Peale, 1779. Independence Hall collection.]
The purpose of the Convention was, as stated in the Preamble to the
Constitution, “to form a more perfect Union” among the States, to ensure
peace at home, and to provide for defense against foreign enemies. The
delegates believed that these objects could best be achieved by
establishing a strong national government, but it was soon apparent that
serious disagreements existed as to the nature of this proposed new
government. Throughout the hot summer months, the delegates labored. The
Constitution was not born at once, but developed gradually through
debate, interchange of opinion, and careful consideration of problems.
Many minds contributed to its final form. A body of compromises, the
Constitution created the central government of a land which is both a
nation and a confederation of States. It was impossible for the framers
to attempt to answer all questions; much was left for future generations
to define. As a result, the Constitution has proved to be a most elastic
instrument, readily adaptable to meet changing conditions.
[Illustration: _Detail sketch of rising sun on back of speaker’s
chair in Assembly room._]
[Illustration: _James Wilson, who, with Madison, had most actual
influence on the completion of the Constitution._ Artist unknown.]
[Illustration: _James Madison, sometimes called “the Father of the
Constitution.”_ Painting by Charles Willson Peele (c. 1792).
Courtesy Frick Art Reference Library.]
[Illustration: _Robert Morris, financier of the Revolution._
Painting by Charles Willson Peale (c. 1782). Independence Hall
collection.]
On September 17, 1787, 4 months after the Convention had assembled, the
finished Constitution was signed “By unanimous consent of the States
present.” The Federal Convention was over. The members “adjourned to the
City Tavern, dined together, and took a cordial leave of each other.”
Often during the bitterness of debate, the Convention’s outcome was in
doubt. At the signing, Franklin, pointing to the gilded half-sun on the
back of Washington’s chair, observed:
I have often and often in the course of Session, and the vicissitudes
of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that [sun] behind the
President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting:
But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and
not a setting Sun.
Completion of work by the Federal Convention was merely the beginning of
the struggle for the new Constitution; the crucial part remained. For
the framework upon which the Convention had expended so much thought and
labor could be made law only by the people. This was to be accomplished
by submitting the document to the people for their approval or
disapproval in popularly elected State conventions. This method would
serve to give the Constitution a broad base of popular support. Such
support was particularly necessary, since the Convention made clearly
revolutionary decisions in stating that the approbation of 9 States
would be sufficient for establishing the Constitution over the States so
ratifying, and that the consent of the Congress was not required.
[Illustration: _The Constitutional Convention as visualized by the
artist. Although inaccurate in detail, it is a good representation
of the delegates._ Painting by J. H. Froelich, 1935. Courtesy
Pennsylvania State Museum.]
In State after State special elections were held in which the issue was
whether the voters favored or did not favor the proposed Constitution.
Pennsylvania’s State Convention met in the State House on November 21,
1787. Under the influence of Wilson’s vigorous arguments, that body
ratified the Constitution on December 18. The honor of first
ratification, however, went to Delaware. Her convention ratified the
document unanimously 5 days earlier. Several of the smaller States
adhered shortly thereafter. The sharpest contests took place in
Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York where the Anti-Federalists were
strong and ably led; but the advantages of the Constitution were so
great that it was finally ratified in 1788 by 11 States. Rhode Island
and North Carolina held out until after Washington became President.
In order to meet popular objections to the Constitution, the Federalists
in Massachusetts drafted amendments which their Commonwealth, in
ratifying the Constitution, might propose to the other States for
adoption. This clever device helped win the struggle in several
reluctant States. From these suggested amendments, intended to protect
the individual citizen against the central government, the first 10
amendments to the Constitution, called the Bill of Rights, were formed.
When the Constitution was finally ratified, the Congress arranged for
the first national election and declared the new government would go
into operation on March 4, 1789.
The new Federal Government first began its work in New York where
Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site is now located; then, in
1790, the Government came to Philadelphia. The move to Philadelphia
resulted from a compromise known as the Residence Act, approved July 16,
1790. This act directed that the permanent capital was to be situated on
the Potomac, but it also stipulated that the temporary seat of
government was to be in Philadelphia for 10 years. Robert Morris was
generally credited with bringing the capital to Philadelphia and was
castigated by New Yorkers for his part in its removal from their city.
[Illustration: _Independence Hall group (center buildings) looking
northeast. Left to right: Congress Hall, Independence Hall (actually
the steeple had been removed in 1781), Committee Room and Library,
Philosophical Hall, and Library Hall._ Engraving in _Columbian
Magazine_ (September 1790). Courtesy Philadelphia Free Library.]
When the location of the capital was under consideration, the City and
County of Philadelphia, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
offered the Federal Government the use of the City Hall and the County
Courthouse, two new buildings then under construction. These buildings
fulfilled the original plan of a governmental center as conceived by
Andrew Hamilton. The offer was accepted and for the last 10 years of the
18th century the United States Congress sat in the new County Courthouse
(now known as Congress Hall), on the west side of the State House, and
the U. S. Supreme Court, in the new City Hall (Supreme Court Building),
on the east.
The building in which the Supreme Court sat from 1791 on was erected by
the City of Philadelphia to accommodate the growth of municipal
departments and functions. During the Colonial period the city
government occupied the small courthouse at Second and High (now Market)
Streets. When the Federal Government came to Philadelphia, the new
building was not yet completed, and the Supreme Court of the United
States met first in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber in the State
House. After August 1, 1791, the Supreme Court generally occupied the
Mayor’s Court, the large room at the south end of the first floor, in
the new City Hall. It is possible that the corresponding room on the
second floor was also used on occasions by the high tribunal. During its
occupancy of the building, the Supreme Court was first presided over by
John Jay, who was succeeded in turn as Chief Justice by John Rutledge
and Oliver Ellsworth. Here the court began its active work, thereby
laying the foundation for the development of the Judicial Branch of the
Federal Government.
[Illustration: _First Bank of the United States, built in 1795._
Engraving by Fenner Sears after C. Burton, 1831. Courtesy
Philadelphia Free Library.]
The ground on which Congress Hall stands was purchased for the Province
of Pennsylvania in 1736. Although there had been plans for a long time
to erect a courthouse on the lot, it was not until 1785 that the
Assembly of Pennsylvania passed an act to appropriate funds for the
erection of the building. Work began in 1787 and was completed in 1789.
This county court building became the meeting place of the first United
States Congress, Third Session, on December 6, 1790. Frederick Augustus
Muhlenberg was then Speaker of the House and John Adams, President of
the Senate. It is today the oldest building standing in which the
Congress of the United States has met.
[Illustration: _Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury in
Washington’s administration, whose comprehensive program placed the
new Nation on a firm financial basis._ Painting by Charles Willson
Peale (c. 1791). Independence Hall collection.]
Before the courthouse could be turned over to the United States
Congress, alterations had to be made to fit the building for its new
purpose. The first-floor chamber, to be used by the House of
Representatives, was furnished with mahogany tables and elbow chairs,
carpeting, stoves, and venetian blinds—all of fine workmanship. In
addition, a gallery was constructed to hold about 300 people. The Senate
Chamber on the second floor was even more elegantly furnished.
Then, between 1793 and 1795, to accommodate the increase in membership
of the House from 68 to 106, the building had to be enlarged by an
addition of about 26 feet to the end of the original structure. In 1795,
a gallery was constructed for the Senate Chamber similar to, although
smaller than, the one on the floor below.
The decade during which Philadelphia served as the capital was a
formative period for our new Government. In foreign relations, the
Citizen Genêt affair and other repercussions of the French Revolution,
which brought near-hostilities with France, ended the historic
Franco-American Alliance of 1778. It is impossible to list all the great
events which occurred during that period, but among them must be
mentioned the inauguration of Washington for his second term in the
Senate Chamber on March 4, 1793. At the same time John Adams assumed the
Presidency of the Senate. Washington delivered his last formal message
before Congress, prior to retiring, in the chamber of the House of
Representatives on December 7, 1796. It is this message which some have
confused with Washington’s famous Farewell Address.
It was in Congress Hall that the first 10 amendments—the Bill of
Rights—were formally added to the Constitution. It was here also that
the First Bank of the United States and the Mint were established as
part of the comprehensive program developed by Alexander Hamilton,
Secretary of the Treasury, to rectify the disordered state of Government
finances. Here, too, Jay’s Treaty with England was debated and ratified;
Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee were admitted into the Union; and the
Alien and Sedition Acts were passed. And it was here that the Federal
Government successfully weathered an internal threat to its
authority—the Whiskey Insurrection of 1794.
[Illustration: _Congress Hall (looking west along Chestnut Street)
near the turn of the century when Philadelphia ceased to be the
capital city and the building reverted to use as a county
courthouse. In right foreground is old Chestnut Street Theater._
Engraving by William Birch, 1799. Courtesy Philadelphia Free
Library.]
[Illustration: _“The Artist in his Museum.” In 1802, Charles Willson
Peale obtained permission to use the second floor of Independence
Hall for his museum. This scene shows the “long room” as a museum
and gallery._ Courtesy Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.]
In the chamber of the House of Representatives, John Adams was
inaugurated as second President of the United States on March 4, 1797.
Two years later, official news of the death of Washington was received
here by Congress, at which time John Marshall introduced Henry
(“Light-Horse Harry”) Lee’s famous words: “First in War, First in Peace,
First in the Hearts of his Countrymen.”
_After 1800_
With the turn of the century, Philadelphia ceased to be a capital city.
In 1800, the Federal Government moved to Washington. During the previous
year, the State Government had moved first to Lancaster and later to
Harrisburg. Congress Hall and the Supreme Court building reverted to the
uses for which they were originally intended—a county courthouse and a
city hall. The State House became an empty building, used apparently
only at elections.
[Illustration: INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK]
POINTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST WITHIN PARK AREA
1. INDEPENDENCE HALL GROUP OF BUILDINGS
2. PHILOSOPHICAL HALL
3. LIBRARY HALL (SITE OF)
4. SECOND BANK OF THE UNITED STATES
5. DILWORTH-TODD-MOYLAN HOUSE
6. BISHOP WHITE HOUSE
7. CITY TAVERN (SITE OF)
8. PHILADELPHIA (MERCHANTS’) EXCHANGE
9. FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES
10. CARPENTERS’ HALL
11. FRANKLIN COURT (SITE OF FRANKLIN’S HOUSE)
12. & 13. CHRIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY
14. GLORIA DEI (OLD SWEDES’) CHURCH
15. DESHLER-MORRIS HOUSE (5442 GERMANTOWN AVE. NOT SHOWN)
OTHER POINTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST
16. ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
17. ATWATER KENT MUSEUM
18. HOLY TRINITY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
19. OLD PINE STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
20. ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
21. POWEL HOUSE
22. ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH (CITY MISSION)
23. ST. JOSEPH’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
24. BETSY ROSS HOUSE
25. FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
26. FREE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE
27. ST. GEORGE’S METHODIST CHURCH
{diagonally hatched} STATE AREA
{shaded} FEDERAL AREA
DELAWARE RIVER BRIDGE
RACE ST.
CHERRY ST.
ELFRETHS ALLEY
ARCH ST.
MARKET ST.
ORIANNA ST.
CHESTNUT ST.
LIBRARY ST.
WALNUT ST.
DOCK ST.
CHRISTIAN ST.
SWANSON
LOCUST ST.
SPRUCE ST.
SIXTH ST.
INDEPENDENCE HALL
FIFTH ST.
FOURTH ST.
THIRD ST.
SECOND ST.
FRONT ST.
DELAWARE AVE.
FRONT ST.
WATER ST.
DELAWARE AVE.
The Governor, on March 13, 1815, approved an act authorizing the County
Commissioners of Philadelphia to take charge of the State House and to
rent out the space as they considered advisable. All profits obtained
were to be used to make repairs and improvements on the building.
Having released the State from responsibility for its State House, the
Legislature next sought to realize from this property a sum of money to
be used in building the new capitol at Harrisburg. In an act, approved
March 11, 1816, the Legislature provided for the sale of the square and
its buildings. This act required the Governor to appoint three
commissioners (none from Philadelphia) to lay out a street, or streets,
through the square “in such manner as in their opinion will most conduce
to the value of the property.” The square was to be divided into lots
suitable for building; the total amount to be realized was not to be
less than $150,000.
One section of the act, however, saved the State House. This provided
that the City of Philadelphia should have the privilege of purchasing
the building and square for the sum of $70,000. The City Councils
promptly passed an ordinance to purchase the property and took title on
March 23, 1818. This was a financial and spiritual investment unequaled
in the history of American cities.