I have been living in Philadelphia, one of the most historic cities in the USA, for my whole life. Throughout elementary, middle and high school I had a history class but yet I never stop and thought about how I actually live in this city. From the Liberty Bell to the First Bank of the United States and the list can go on and on. I should be taking it as a honor to walk on the same streets that Benjamin Franklin and John Adams once walked. I guess I’m just caught up in my own life to stop and think that my life would have been different if certain events, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, didn’t take place. I could be calling myself British instead of American if those men didn’t make history in this town about 232 years ago. The first “White House†was located in Philadelphia from 1790 to 1800. The actual name of the house was The President’s House. It housed George Washington and John Adams. When I first heard that they found, I went down to check it out. There wasn’t much there to see but just to think that there used to be a house in front of me where our President once lived. The building was also occupied by General Sir William Howe when the British occupied Philadelphia from 1777-78. About a block from the President’s house lies The Declaration House. This house was owned by Jacob Graff, a well-known brick layer. This house is important because this is where Thomas Jefferson lived while writing the Declaration of Independence. On Chestnut Street, there are plaques in the sidewalk that commemorate the 56 signers’ of the Declaration of Independence. This sidewalk is called “Signers’ Walkâ€. Some of the people honored are Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams and John Adams. Just like how we “ring in†the new year every December 31, they rang in a new beginning on July 8, 1776. Down the street from Signers’ Walk is the Liberty Bell Center. This bell is probably the most important item we have in the USA today. It is a familiar symbol of independence and an icon of liberty and justice for America. It is important because when the Declaration of Independence was completed, they had to let the people know. They didn’t have media like they do today. People back then couldn’t put a TV, because there was none, and they couldn’t check the internet. So what happen is when they had to announce the Declaration of Independence, they rang the Liberty Bell, which was located in the tower of Independence Hall and it made the people of Philadelphia gather. As they gathered, Colonel John Nixon began the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. This wasn’t the reason why Philadelphia had the bell. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, the original constitution of Pennsylvania. A lot of people remember the Liberty Bell for one thing, its 24 ½ inch crack. There are many possible causes on how the bell cracked. One cause was on George Washington’s birthday in 1846, the bell rang and the crack expanded, causing the bell to never ring again. The Liberty Bell Museum actually gives 9 other possible causes so no one is actually positive. One of the most important buildings in American History is Independence Hall. The construction was complete in 1753, 21 years after the ground breaking. Independence Hall is considered the birthplace of America. That is because the Declaration of Independence was adopted and where the Constitution of the United States was drafted, debated and signed. The debate for the Constitution ran from May to September of 1787. One thing I can’t picture is because they didn’t want anyone on the outside to hear them debating, they would close all the windows and the debate took place in the dead heat of summer. That just shows the dedication of these men. That is truly one of the most important places in our history. Right next to Independence Hall is another important building, Congress Hall. Congress Hall has its name because it was where congress met while Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. The first floor was occupied by the House of Representatives and the second floor was used the Senate. This building was the place for the inauguration of President George Washington and probably most important of all was that the Bill of Rights were ratified in this building. Also next to Independence Hall is the Old City Hall, the first Supreme Court Room. This is actually was the second City Hall for Philadelphia(the first one was located on 2nd street near the Delaware River). It was completed in 1791 and right after it was finished, the municipal government moved in. The upstairs was the Mayor’s office and council chamber and the downstairs was the Mayor’s Court, which was shared with the Supreme Court room for a time. Old City Hall was also an immigration center and the naturalization ceremonies took place in the courts. Down the street from Old Ci Down the street from Old City Hall is Philosophical Hall. This is home for the American Philosophical Society. Before this building, they met at Carpenters Hall, the College of Philadelphia, Christ Church School, and sometimes at the home of Benjamin Franklin. Today, Philosophical Hall contains Benjamin Franklin’s clock, library chair and the chair believed to be used by Thomas Jefferson while writing the Declaration of Independence. The first library opened to the public was Library Hall. The Library Company was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin. Books were usually owned by the wealthy before this. This led to the building of Library Hall in 1791. Today, Library Hall houses some of the collection of the Philosophical Society, which owns the building. idk if it was cut off...but this is the 2nd part if it was http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081124203437AAFSu3o
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this is soo full of mistakes. get a friend to revise it for you or something cuz its too hard for me to do it on the computer lol....
