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IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space, in the South Street District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. Spanning spans three city lots and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates.
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city to create the Crosstown Expressway. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous.
The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens.
In 2002 the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
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Liberty Bell Pavilion
Independence Mall
520 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Copyright 2017, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.
(Prints via bruhin.us/PY)
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space, in the South Street District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. Spanning spans three city lots and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates.
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city to create the Crosstown Expressway. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous.
The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens.
In 2002 the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
It also has educational programming, performances, tours, and mosaic workshops, all of which are open to the public. Zagar continues to create mosaic murals on the streets of Philadelphia, hundreds of which can be seen in or around the South Street area.
The space is open for public view, from 11:00-18:00 Wednesday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays.
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Karl Bitter & Adolph Weinman, 1904, near Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri, USA, fountain
Original Caption: Dunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence]. This is the first printed version of the Declaration of Independence. Drafted for the most part by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence justified breaking the colonial ties to Great Britain by providing a basic philosophy of government and a list of grievances against the Crown. John Dunlap of Philadelphia was the printer to the Continental Congress.
U.S. National Archives' Local Identifier: NWDT1-360-ITEM1-ITEM1VOL3P94
From: Series: Rough Journals, compiled 09/05/1774 - 03/02/1789 (Record Group 360)
Created by: Second Continental Congress. (09/05/1775 - 03/02/1781)
Production Date: 07/04/1776
Persistent URL: research.archives.gov/description/301682
Repository: National Archives Building - Archives I (Washington, DC)
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted
Use Restrictions: Unrestricted
Reading Terminal Market in the Centre City District in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
The building originates from 1893 under the elevated train shed of the Reading Railroad Company after the city of Philadelphia advocated to move public markets from the streets into indoor facilities for both safety and sanitary reasons.
When the Centre City Commuter Connection was completed in 1984, the Reading Terminal ceased operating as a train station, impacting foot traffic at the Market. The site was chosen for the convention centre, and in 1990 the Company transferred title to the complex to the Pennsylvania Convention Centre Authority.
The Market still occupies the ground floor and basement levels of the now Pennsylvania Convention Centre. The stalls are arranged in a grid pattern with an open area in the centre with tables and seating. Over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, artisan cheese, groceries, ice cream, flowers, grilled cheese, baked goods, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods.
Two of the vendors are descendants of original merchants from the initial opening in the late 1800s. The basement floor of the market holds the refrigerated storage area for vendor use. The storage area was considered state-of-the-art when it was built, in 1893. Currently, the market is open every day of the week, although the Pennsylvania Dutch merchants (a small but significant minority) generally do not operate Sunday through Tuesday.
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Monticello
Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
Monticello is the autobiographical masterpiece of Thomas Jefferson—designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt for more than forty years—and its gardens were a botanic showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world.
For almost 90 years, Monticello has been maintained and kept open to the public by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., which owns over 2,500 acres of Jefferson's 5,000-acre plantation. As a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the Foundation receives no ongoing federal, state, or local funding in support of its dual mission of preservation and education.
The History Channel
The First Monticello
Born on April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson grew up at Shadwell, one of the largest tobacco plantations in Virginia. At the age of 21, he inherited several thousand acres of land that encompassed the family estate as well as his favorite boyhood haunt: a nearby hilltop called Monticello (Italian for “little mountain”) where he resolved to build his own home. In 1768, a year after the future president was admitted to the Virginia bar, workers broke ground on the site, beginning a decades-long process that would captivate Jefferson, bankrupt his family and produce one of America’s most iconic and historically significant architectural masterpieces.
Did You Know?
"I am as happy no where else and in no other society,” Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “and all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.”
In those days, it was common for landowners to choose a stock design for their home from an English architectural handbook; a contractor would then oversee the project from start to finish. But this particular landowner was Thomas Jefferson, the quintessential polymath, whose passions ranged from political philosophy, archaeology and linguistics to music, botany, bird watching and pasta making. (At a dinner honoring 49 American Nobel Prize winners, John F. Kennedy famously quipped, “I think that this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”) Remembered for drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson also drafted the blueprints for Monticello’s neoclassical mansion, outbuildings, gardens and grounds. Though he had no formal training, he had read extensively about architecture, particularly that of ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance. Years later, he would become an accomplished architect whose designs included the Virginia state capitol and the main buildings at the University of Virginia.
Monticello was unique not only in its design but also in its use of local resources. At a time when most brick was still imported from England, Jefferson chose to mold and bake his own bricks with clay found on the property. Monticello’s grounds provided most of the lumber, stone and limestone, and even the nails used to construct the buildings were manufactured on site.
The Second Monticello
In 1770, the family house at Shadwell burned down, forcing Jefferson to move into Monticello’s South Pavilion, an outbuilding, until the main house was completed. Two years later, he was joined by his new bride, Martha Wayles Skelton, the 23-year-old widowed daughter of a prominent Virginia lawyer. The couple had six children together, two of whom lived to adulthood, before Martha’s death in 1782. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Jefferson moved to France, where he served as the U.S. ambassador from 1785 to 1789. He was immediately struck by the architecture of the buildings there, particularly a certain Paris home with a U-shaped design, colonnades and a domed roof. Along with a massive trove of art, furniture and books, he returned home with a new vision for the estate. Among other enhancements, he added a central hallway, a mezzanine bedroom floor and an octagonal dome–the first of its kind in the United States.
This “second Monticello” was double the size of its original incarnation, designed to accommodate not only Jefferson’s steady stream of houseguests but also his boundless collections of books, European art, Native American artifacts, natural specimens and mementos from his travels. Monticello was also filled with Jefferson’s unique–and often ingenious–inventions. These included a revolving bookstand, a copying machine, a spherical sundial and a toenail clipper, among dozens of other devices.
The Eastern State Penitentiary a former American prison and now a museum in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania.
The penitentiary, which was in operation between 1829 and 1971, was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world. Its construction refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.
Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside it's innovative wagon wheel design. James Bruno (Big Joe) and several male relatives were incarcerated here between 1936 and 1948 for the alleged murders in the Kelayres massacre of 1934, before they were paroled. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.
Today it stands more in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year, 10 am to 5 pm.
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Couldn't wait till the 4th. George knows how to party. That's Paul Revere in the back with pizza and beer. John Hancock gets all the chicks. You know what they say: big signature, big ----. Or is it the other way?
The Colonial style B. Free Franklin Post Office, in the Old City district of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, USA.
Although not originally used as a Post Office the building was altered in 1975 to commemorate Benjamin Franklin’s extensive contributions to the U.S. Postal Service, it is the only post office without a U.S. flag or a zip code. Employees dress in period costumes and use quill and ink rather than ballpoint pens. The three-story row house housing the post office was occupied by Benjamin Franklin from 1737 to 1753.
In Franklin’s time, the sender’s signature was on the outside of the letter. Benjamin Franklin, the first U.S. Postmaster General, signed his letters B. Free Franklin, to protest British rule. “B. Free Franklin” signature stamp is still used at this post office to cancel stamps.
Appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, Franklin later became co-Postmaster General (of the North American colonies) for the British. He served in that position from 1757-1774, increasing the efficiency of the post through improvements in bookkeeping, delivery routes, and more. From 1775-1776, Franklin served as Postmaster General under the authority of the Continental Congress.
Postmasters typically operated the business out of their homes or printing offices. This site did not serve as a post office in Franklin's day but today includes two small display cases with historical information about the postal service.
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Before the month of July is over, let's fit in at least one patriotic photo!
Inside the replica of Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm, you can watch this show depicting the founding fathers discussing the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Well, not watch so much as listen -- you mostly just hear their voices while you sit and look at the flickering of electric candles, and a couple bolts of lightning outside.
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Bela Lyon Pratt, 1910, near Historical Society, Quincy Center, Quincy, Massachusetts, USA, bust. Photo 3 of 3.
All-American Picture Puzzle - Signing of the Declaration of Independence
280 pieces. 6 pieces missing. 1942.
Dell Publishing. Number 3.
Artist: John Trumbull (1756-1843)
The thrift store had four of these old puzzles, so I took a chance. This one was a bust, but the irony of the missing pieces made me chuckle. A shame really because otherwise, the pieces were sturdy and thick. Good quality for its time.
Is it me, or does Benjamin Franklin look like he's rolling his eyes?
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Chinatown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Unlike some traditional Chinatowns it continues to grow and ethnic Chinese population, as Philadelphia itself is experiencing significant Chinese immigration from New York and from China.
In the mid-late 19th century, Cantonese immigrants to Philadelphia opened laundries and restaurants in an area near Philadelphia's commercial wharves. The first business was a laundry owned by Lee Fong at 913 Race Street; it opened in 1871. In the mid-1960s a large bumber of families began moving intio China town, before this Chinatown only consisted of a number of ethnic Chinese businesses several restaurants and one grocery store.
Chinatown features many restaurants featuring East Asian cuisines. 10th Street and Race Street host nearly a dozen different Hong Kong-style bakery cafes. There are also restaurants serving Cantonese, Fujianese, Northern, Sichuan, and Taiwanese cuisine. Numerous restaurants in Philadelphia's Chinatown feature other Asian cuisines, such as Burmese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.
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The Avenue of the Arts the section of the cities designated arts cultural district, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
It includes many of the city's cultural institutions, most notably the theatre district south of City Hall. The availability of public transportation makes Avenue of the Arts highly accessible to visitors.
The name originated in a strategy by mayor Ed Rendell to redevelop South Broad Street in Centre City. The area is overseen by the non-profit organization Avenue of the Arts, Inc. led by Executive Director Karen Lewis.
It is the locale for many of the city's large theatres, including the Kimmel Centre (home of the Philadelphia Orchestra), the Academy of Music, Merriam Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Liacouras Centre, and Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Buildings for the University of the Arts are located just south and east of the Kimmel Centre; the Merriam Theatre is often used for high-end productions involving the school.
Philadelphia International Records' offices and gift shop is also located along this strip. Just south of the strip is the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, and on Broad Street in this vicinity, just north of City Hall, is the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which, founded in 1805, is America's oldest art school and museum and boasts a distinguished collection of American art.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_of_the_Arts_(Philadelphia)
Bella Vista, (Italian for "beautiful sight"), a neighbourhood in the southern section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Prior to the Act of Consolidation of 1854, Bella Vista was part of the Moyamensing Township. It was sparsely settled until the 1840s and 1850s when it became an impoverished area on the outskirts of the industrializing city. The New York Tribune noted in 1848 that the districts of Moyamensing and nearby Southwark were composed of "the most graceless vagabonds and unmitigated ruffians" as well as "loafers" who were members of various gangs.
In addition to Irish immigrants, it was also once home to a large portion of the city's population of African descent, many of whom were former slaves from the South. In 1852, the Institute for Coloured Youth, a school (and later college) for people of African descent, was established at 10th and Bainbridge.
During the late 1800s, Italian immigrants began settling the area in large numbers, which reshaped the neighbourhood’s character. One of the earliest immigrants, Antonio Palumbo, opened a boarding-house (Palumbo's) on the corner of 9th and Catharine in 1884 that became the social centre of the neighbourhood’s growing Italian community.
The planned construction of the South Street Expressway in the 1960s led to a drop in property values in the neighbourhood. Many of the residents subsequently fled to the suburbs. As they did in adjacent Queen Village, developers and city planners attempted to rebrand the area and began referring to it as "Bella Vista" in the early 1970s.
The city eventually scrapped plans for the second cross-town expressway. In the late 1970s, the neighbourhood began to gentrify due to its proximity to Centre City. During the same era, the area also experienced an influx of Vietnamese and Mexican immigrants.
While much of the Italian-American community has moved deeper into South Philadelphia, into neighbourhoods such as Marconi Plaza, many Italian shops and restaurants still remain clustered along the market on 9th Street.
The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, Institute for Colored Youth, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper House, George W. Nebinger School, and Washington Avenue Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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This Independence Day tribute is a result of a little texture work over a photo of a ragged flag I photographed several years ago.
"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance." John Adams
"If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag." Author Unknown
The Liberty Bell an iconic symbol of American independence, located in the Old City District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Once placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the bell today is located across the street in the Liberty Bell Centre in Independence National Historical Park. The bell was commissioned in 1752 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from the London firm of Lester and Pack and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof", a Biblical reference.
The bell first cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose last names appear on the bell. In its early years, the bell was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens about public meetings and proclamations.
The bell acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century—a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. The bell became famous after an 1847 short story claimed that an aged bellringer rang it on July 4, 1776, upon hearing of the Second Continental Congress' vote for independence.
Although the bell did not ring for independence on that July 4, the tale was widely accepted as fact, even by some historians. Beginning in 1885, the city of Philadelphia—which owns the bell—allowed it to go to various expositions and patriotic gatherings. The bell attracted huge crowds wherever it went, additional cracking occurred, and pieces were chipped away by souvenir hunters. The last such journey occurred in 1915, after which the city refused further requests.
After World War II, Philadelphia allowed the National Park Service to take custody of the bell, while retaining ownership. It was used as a symbol of freedom during the Cold War and was a popular site for protests in the 1960s. It was moved from its long-time home in Independence Hall to a nearby glass pavilion on Independence Mall in 1976, and then to the larger Liberty Bell Centre adjacent to the pavilion in 2003. The bell has been featured on coins and stamps, and its name and image have been widely used by corporations.
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Bathed in the soft glow of dusk, the monumental facade of the National Archives Building stands as a stoic guardian of American democracy. Located on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., this neoclassical temple houses some of the nation’s most treasured documents—including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
This image captures the building’s north-facing entrance, with its grand portico of Corinthian columns and richly sculpted pediment. The pediment relief, The Recorder of the Archives, was designed by James Earle Fraser and depicts the personification of History surrounded by figures representing national progress and wisdom. Beneath the pediment, the inscription reads: The ties that bind the lives of our people in one indissoluble union are perpetuated in the archives of the nation.
The architecture, designed by John Russell Pope and completed in 1935, draws inspiration from classical Greek and Roman civic buildings—symbols of republican ideals and enduring authority. Pope’s design emphasizes symmetry, permanence, and reverence, echoing the building's solemn purpose: to preserve and make accessible the foundational records of American governance.
At twilight, the light softens the stone, emphasizing the sculptural depth of the columns and frieze while casting a serene mood across the facade. The visual harmony of form, scale, and symbolism makes the National Archives one of the most iconic civic structures on the National Mall.
HABS Architectural Survey Standard:
Documented according to standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS):
Structure Name: National Archives Building
Location: 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW / Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Style: Neoclassical
Date of Construction: 1931–1935
Architect: John Russell Pope
HABS Reference Number: DC-138
This Sunday Art on the Underground presented a newly commissioned iteration of Barby Asante’s seminal performative work Declaration of Independence. Created in collaboration with TfL employees,this performative anddialogic work will be Asante’s first major commission in a public space, performed to an audience of thousands at Stratford Tubestation. As part of this new commission, Asante sourced images of women of colour at work in different roles across TfL’s history from the photography archives at the London Transport Museum. These archive images are produced on vinyl,set within brightly coloured, inter connected shapes and lines and displayed on the mezzanine and balcony at Stratford Station,as well as on ecalators and posters at Bethnal Green and Notting Hill Tube stations. The newly written and performed declaration and station artworks foreground the narratives of diaspora Black and women of colour,capturing the scale and value of this work to London.The performance demonstrates the importance of collective thinking.
Centre City District in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city in 1682 to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia played an instrumental role in the American Revolution as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers of the United States, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 at the Second Continental Congress, and the Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787.
Several other key events occurred in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War including the First Continental Congress, the preservation of the Liberty Bell, the Battle of Germantown, and the Siege of Fort Mifflin. Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until being overtaken by New York City in 1790; the city was also one of the nation's capitals during the revolution, serving as temporary U.S. capital while Washington, D.C. was under construction. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Philadelphia became a major industrial centre and a railroad hub.
The city grew due to an influx of European immigrants, most of whom initially came from Ireland and Germany—the two largest reported ancestry groups in the city as of 2015. Later immigrant groups in the 20th century came from Italy (Italian being the third largest European ethnic ancestry currently reported in Philadelphia) and other Southern European and Eastern European countries.
In the early 20th century, Philadelphia became a prime destination for African Americans during the Great Migration after the Civil War. Puerto Ricans began moving to the city in large numbers in the period between World War I and II, and in even greater numbers in the post-war period. The city's population doubled from one million to two million people between 1890 and 1950.
Philadelphia is the home of many U.S. firsts, including the first library (1731), hospital (1751), medical school (1765), national capital (1774), stock exchange (1790), zoo (1874), and business school (1881). Philadelphia contains 67 National Historic Landmarks and the World Heritage Site of Independence Hall.
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Built in 1713, the Old State House is the oldest public building in Boston. Up to 1776 it was the seat of the British colonial government. On the 18th of July, the American Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony.
Second Bank of the United States
Independence National Historical Park
400 Block of Library Street
Philadelphia, PA
Copyright 2017, Bob Bruhin. All rights reserved.
National Archives in Washington, DC, houses the original Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Flag banner is for an exhibit on the Vietnam War.
For Flickr group, Strobist Sundays: Ancient Treasures.
This century old timepiece was willed to me by my grandmother.
Nikon 5700.ISO 319 f/3.9 Lighting by CFL bounced off my 32" reflector.
The timepiece is resting on a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The Old City district of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, USA.
It is home Independence National Historical Park, a dense section of historic landmarks including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the First Bank of the United States, the Second Bank of the United States, and Carpenters' Hall. It also includes historic streets such as Elfreth's Alley, dating back to 1703.
Along with the northern part of Society Hill, Old City is one of Philadelphia's oldest neighbourhoods and part of the area where William Penn and the Quakers first settled. It hosted the governments of Pennsylvania and the United States of America for most of the period from 1776-1800 and was North America's most important financial centre through the 1830s.
As Philadelphia's central business district gradually moved west, it became a warehouse and light industrial district. Many historical sites were restored or reconstructed in the twentieth century, especially during the development of Independence National Historical Park after 1943 and culminating with the United States Bicentennial in 1976.
In the 1980s the warehouse area north of Chestnut and especially Market Streets became popular for art galleries and artist's studios as well as bars, restaurants, and nightclubs.
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The Colonial style B. Free Franklin Post Office, in the Old City district of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, USA.
Although not originally used as a Post Office the building was altered in 1975 to commemorate Benjamin Franklin’s extensive contributions to the U.S. Postal Service, it is the only post office without a U.S. flag or a zip code. Employees dress in period costumes and use quill and ink rather than ballpoint pens. The three-story row house housing the post office was occupied by Benjamin Franklin from 1737 to 1753.
In Franklin’s time, the sender’s signature was on the outside of the letter. Benjamin Franklin, the first U.S. Postmaster General, signed his letters B. Free Franklin, to protest British rule. “B. Free Franklin” signature stamp is still used at this post office to cancel stamps.
Appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, Franklin later became co-Postmaster General (of the North American colonies) for the British. He served in that position from 1757-1774, increasing the efficiency of the post through improvements in bookkeeping, delivery routes, and more. From 1775-1776, Franklin served as Postmaster General under the authority of the Continental Congress.
Postmasters typically operated the business out of their homes or printing offices. This site did not serve as a post office in Franklin's day but today includes two small display cases with historical information about the postal service.
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The full uncut video is available on YouTube via link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5wFHto3GvI&t=303s&ab_cha...
John Dunlap (b.1746/7 d.1812), was was an early American printer, who was born in Meetinghouse Street, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. (Link to photo of his home)
www.flickr.com/photos/152221785@N07/53432245257/in/datepo...
The younger son among probably three sons and four daughters of John Dunlap Snr. (b.1718 d.1783), possibly a saddler, born, Strabane and Sarah Ector (b.1725 d.1780) daughter of James Ector. They married February 1735. John’s grandfather Gabriel Dunlap (b.1696 d. 1770) was the saddler who married Ardstraw 1713 to Barbara Gilmour (b.1696 d.1765).
Siblings of John Dunlap Snr & Sarah Ector.
1. Anne Marie Dunlap (b.1743 d.1816) m. 1764 Johann Peter Raub (b.1743 d.1827)
2. John Dunlap (b.1746/7 d.1812) m. Elizabeth Hayes Ellison (b.1746 d.1836)
3. Gabriel Dunlap (b.1748 d.dec.) m. Esther Phoebe Baker (b.1773 d.?)
4. James Dunlap (b.1750 d.1829)
5. Robert Dunlap (b.1748 d.1834) m. 1st Rebecca Jones (b.1767 d.1838), 2nd Eleanor Dunlap (b.1715/1769 d.1787), 3rd Sarah Hood (b.1718 / 1778 d.?)
Gray’s Printers, 49, Main Street, Strabane, County Tyrone now owned and operated by the National Trust, is suggested to be the place where John Dunlap learned the print trade. However, no records are available to substanciate this claim.
As a ten year old boy in 1757, John immigrated to America, where he became an apprentice to his uncle, printer, bookseller, postmaster and later a minister of the Anglican Church, William Dunlap (b.? d.1779) who had earlier emigrated to America. Williams apperars to have been the son of Gabriel Dunlap (b.1696 d.1770) a saddlemaker in Strabane. William himself had been an apprentice to William Bradford (b.1663 d.1752). In 1754 Benjamin Franklin (b.1706 d.1790) sent William to take charge of his print buisness in Lancaster. In 1764 William married Deborah Croker (b.1731 d.1775), a niece of Deborah Reed Franklin (b.c.1708 d.1774), the wife of Benjamin Franklin. William gave up the press in Lancaster early in 1757, before returning to Philadelphia when Franklin appointed him as postmaster of Philadelphia, however in 1764 he was replaced by another of Benjamin Franklin’s relative, Peter Franklin (b.1692 d.1766).
Early in 1756 the printer James Chattin moved his shop in Church Alley to an Office, on Market Street, three doors south of 2nd Street opposite the Jersey Market, however after two and a half years Chattin sold out to William and in June 1758 the first advertisement appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette for William Dunlap. This was to be the location of the Dunlap press for the next 37 years, a press which was to play a historic role in the founding of the United States.
Partly as a result, of financial difficulties in 1766 William gave up bookselling, handed over management of his print shop to his nephew John so he could travel to England to be ordained as minister of the Church of England. In 1768, William became rector of the parish of Stratton in Virginia, and officially sold his print business in Philadelphia to John in July 1776.
William and his wife Deborah had five children:
1. Sarah Dunlap (b.1753 d.?)
2. Francis Franklin Dunlap (b.1756 d.1776) died a chaplain in the 6th Regiment Marines, in British Service.
3. Deborah Dunlap Robinson (b.1756 d.?) who married in 1784, John Robinson (Jr) of Green Branch in Middlesex County, Virginia,
4. Benjamin Franklin Dunlap (b.1758 d.1783) died in S. Carolina, a portable pressman in service of Gen. Nathanael Greene.
5. Fanney Dunlap (b.1760 d.?)
William remarried, to a wealthy, childless widow, Mrs. Johanna Greene Rowe, of Gloucester, County, Virginia. William died in 25 Sep 1779 and was buried at Saint Paul's Church Cemetery, Hanover County, Virginia.
John Dunlap, after purchasing his uncle’s printing business, paying him off in instalments. During this period John’s close friend Dr. Benjamin Rush (b.1746 d.1813), a Pennsylvania signator of the declaration, recalled that John was so poor that he lived in his print shop, sleeping on the floor under the counter.
On 28 October 1771, Dunlap launched a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and the General Advertiser, to be published every Monday. David C. Claypoole (b.1757 d.1849) eventually became Dunlap’s partner in this enterprise, and on 21 September 1784, the Pennsylvania Packet became the first newspaper of significance in America to be published daily.
Dunlap also established a newspaper in Baltimore, Dunlap’s Maryland Gazette, or The Baltimore Advertser in 1775.
July 1776 was pivotal in the history of the United States and the history of democracy. The American Revolution was little more than a civil war. The Continental Army was outnumbered three to one by the British and their German mercenaries. The British Navy dominated the high seas, cutting off supplies and arms. America was seeking support both domestically and internationally.
On 7 June 1776, Richard Henry Lee (b.1732 d.1794) of Virginia at a meeting in Philadelphia introduced a resolution urging Congress to declare independence from Great Britain. Four days later, John Adams (b.1735 d.1826) repesenting Massachusetts, Roger Sherman (b.1721 d.1793) representing Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston (b.1746 d.1813) representing New York, Thomas Jefferson (b.1743, d.1826) representing Virginia and Benjamin Franklin (b.1706 d.1790) representing Pennsylvania were appointed as a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee's draft was read in Congress on 28 June in Philadelphia. On 4 July, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, containing a list of grievances against the British crown and the reason for the revolution. The document was printed and circulated throughout the colonies in the form of a broadside.
Commomly called the ‘Dunlap broadside’. Broadsides are large sheets of paper, printed on one side like a poster, that were popular in the 18th century as a means for rapid distribution of information. They were posted in town halls and other public meeting spaces, and often reprinted in local newspapers.
The Continental Congress saw the Declaration of Independence as a powerful tool. The support of nations like France, the Netherlands, and Poland was crucial. Declaring independence made it possible to take the Revolution out of the arena of civil war and put it directly on the international stage as a war for independence. The simplicity and eloquence of the Declaration of Independence immediately gained the attention of the world and has inspired democratic movements ever since. Getting the word out was a priority.
The Declaration of Independence was written and approved at a time when British forces were converging on the belligerent colonies, it was a dangerous document for the signers and anyone else having anything to do with it. The signers pledged to each other “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” in support of the declaration. Printer, John Dunlap, just 29, made no such pledge, but by setting the document in type, placed himself in harm’s way as much as any delegate.
When the first copies of the Declaration of Independence were sent out across the United States, just three names were on the document, John Hancock as President, Charles Thomson as Secretary and John Dunlap.
John Dunlap, and David Chambers Claypoole (b.1757 d.1849) official printers to the Continental Congress, produced the first printed versions of the American Declaration of Independence in Dunlap’s Philadelphia shop on the night of 4 July 1776. After the Declaration had been adopted by the Congress earlier that day, a committee took the manuscript document, possibly, Thomas Jefferson's "fair copy" of his rough draft, to Dunlap for printing. Also on 5th July, a copy of the printed version of the approved Declaration was inserted into the "rough journal" of the Continental Congress for 4th July. The text was followed by the words "Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, John Hancock, President. Attest, Charles Thomson, Secretary."
The Declaration of Independence had 56 signatures. Less well-known is the fact that 4 were born on the island of Ireland, with 5 more were of Irish descent.
1. Charles Thomson (b.1729 d.1824) born Maghera, County L-Derry.
2. James Smith (b.1719 d.1806) born Northern Ireland.
3. George Taylor (b.c.1716 d.1781) born in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
4. Matthew Thornton (b.1713 d.1803) born in County Limerick
5. Charles Carroll (b.1737 d.1832) born to a family from County Offaly.
6. Thomas Lynch, Jr. (b.1749 d.1779) his grandfather was from County Galway.
7. George Read (b.1733 d.1798) his father was from Dublin.
8. Edward Rutledge (b.1749 d.1800) his father left Callan, County Kilkenny in 1735.
9. Thomas McKean (b.1734 d.1817) mother and father from Ballymoney, County Antrim.
In 1796, signer, Thomas McKean disputed that the Declaration had been signed on 4th July, pointing out that some signers were not present, including several who were not even elected to Congress until after that date. "No person signed it on that day nor for many days after", he wrote. His claim gained support when the Secret Journals of Congress were published in 1821. The Secret Journals contained two previously unpublished entries about the Declaration.
In 1884, historian Mellen Chamberlain (b.1821 d.1900) argued that these entries indicated that the famous signed version of the Declaration had been created following the 19 July resolution, and had not been signed by Congress until 2nd August. Subsequent research has confirmed that many of the signers had not been present in Congress on 4th July, and that some delegates may have added their signatures even after 2nd August. Legal historian Wilfred Ritz (b.1915. d.1995) concluded in 1986 that about 34 delegates signed the Declaration on July 4, and that the others signed on or after 2nd August.
There is no official record of just how many broadsides Dunlap produced on 4th and 5th July in Dunlap’s print shop located near the southeast corner of High (Market) Street and Second Street. The general consensus seems to be 150-200 copies, but it is unclear if there is any evidence to back up this number.
26 copies are known to exist, 20 owned by American institutions, 3 by British institutions, and 3 by private individuals.
In 1989, a Philadelphia financial analyst bought an old painting (depicting a country scene) at a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, for $4. He only wanted the frame and when he removed the picture he found an original Dunlap broadside hidden inside. At a Sotheby auction on 4 June 1991 it sold for $4.42 million, not a bad return on a $4 investment. In a later auction of June 2000 it fetched an $8.14 million (£6,803,822) bid from television producer Norman Lear (b.1922) in an online auction.
In July 2021, another copy of the Declaration, unaccounted for nearly 177 years, was discovered in an attic in Scotland and was sold on 1st July for $4,420,000 (£3,210,000), the second highest ever paid at auction for a Declaration, this copperplate engraving on parchment was produced in 1823 by William J. Stone (b.c1800 d.1865).
In 1774 Dunlap published a reprint of Thomas Jefferson's ”Summary View of the Rights of British America”.
Dunlap fled Philadelphia as the British closed in on the city during the fall of 1777. Patriots stripped the city of anything the British could use, including the Liberty Bell, before allowing the British on 26 Sept 1777 to march into the city without opposition. Dunlap moved his press to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, safely behind American lines, until the 15,000 occupying British troops evacuated the city on 18 July 1778.
During this time Dunlap printed material for the revolutionary Pennsylvania assembly and also in 1777 took over printing the Journals of the Continental Congress from Robert Aitken (b.1734 d. 1802), and who was first to publish an English language Bible in the newly formed United States), but lost the contract in 1779 after printing a letter from Thomas Paine (b.1737 d.1809) in his newspaper that leaked news of the secret that French aid had been provided to the Americans.
John was the first printer to reestablish business in Philadelphia in July 1778. Dunlap and his partner Claypoole also printed the constitution of the United States in 1787. Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world's longest surviving written charter of government. It’s first three words, “We the People”, which affirms that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens.
Dunlap, in 1774 was one of the founders of the 1st Troop of Philadelphia City Cavalry and during the American Revolutionary War (aka, the U.S. War of Independence) from 1775 to 1783, he saw action as a cornet (the lowest grade of commissioned officer) and also as bodyguard to George Washington (b.1732 d.1799) at the battles of Trenton (26 Dec 1776) and Princeton (13 Jan 1777). It was in this capacity that Dunlap would have witnessed the negotiations for the surrender of New York on 25 November 1783, by fellow Strabane man Sir Guy Carleton aka Lord Dorchester (b.1724 d.1808).
In August 1783, Carleton was informed that Great Britain would grant the United States its independence. With Carleton’s exit from New York imminent, he asked to be relieved of his command. With this news, Loyalists began an exodus from the Thirteen Colonies, Carleton doing his best to have them resettled outside of the United States.
At a meeting with George Washington, among others, to arrange for the implementation of those parts of the Treaty of Paris (signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States on 3rd September 1783, officially ending the American Revolutionary War and the conflict between the two countries) relating to the evacuation of New York City, then commanded by Carleton and still occupied by the British Army, many Loyalists and former slaves. Carleton refused to deliver over the human property to the Americans at the time, instead, he proposed a registry so that the owners might eventually be paid for the slaves, who were entitled to their freedom by British proclamation and promises. Sir Guy noted that nothing could be changed in any Articles that were inconsistent with prior policies or national honour, he added that the only mode was to pay for the Negroes, in which case justice was done to all, the former slaves and their masters. Carleton said that if removing them proved to be an infraction of the treaty, then compensation would have to be paid by the British government. To provide for such a contingency, he had a register kept of all Negroes who left, called the ’Book of Negroes’, entering their names, ages, occupations, and names of their former masters. The Americans agreed to this, but as far as can be determined, the Crown never paid compensation. The British transported about 3,000 freedmen and other Loyalists to Nova Scotia for resettlement. As the colony struggled, some of the freedmen later, in early 1790s go to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the British had set up a new colony, which included the Black Poor from London.
Dunlap continued in the First City Troop after the war, rising to the rank of major, and leading Pennsylvania's cavalry militia to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In 1799, as Captain of the Troop, Dunlap wrote, “With pleasure I tell you, that when the Laws and Government of this happy country require defence, the First Troop of Philadelphia Cavalry wants but one hour’s notice to march.”
In 1780 John subscribed £4,000 to found the National Bank for the United States to provide supplies for the new country's army. For 3 years from 1789 to 1792 John was also a member of the Common Council of Philadelphia. which was responsible for building and maintaining the city’s infrastructure and enacting legislation.
John married Elizabeth (Eliza) Hayes (née Ellison) b.1746 d.1836, a widow from Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK on the 3 February 1773 in Pennsylvania. Elizabeth was born on 7 April 1746, her father, Samuel Ellison (b.1734 d.1809) was born in Wike, Harewood, Yorkshire her mother, Elizabeth Bickerdike (b.1725 d.?) was also born in Wike, Harewood, Yorkshire.
John & Elizabeth had six daughters and three sons; two of the sons died in infancy.
1. Sarah (nee Dunlap) Forrest (b.1774 d.1821)
2. Elizabeth (nee Dunlap) Borrough (b.1776 d.1835)
3. Mary (nee Dunlap) Bleight (b.1779 d.1868)
4. John Dunlap (b.1780 d.infant)
5. Ann Dunlap (b.1782 d.1874)
6. John Dunlap (b.1783 d.infant)
7. Catharine (nee Dunlap) Parham (b.1785 d.1812.)
8. John Ray Dunlap (b.1786 d.1813)
9. Charlotte (nee Dunlap) Elfreth (b.1791 d.1833)
John Dunlap would go on to print currency for Pennsylvania, beginning in 1777, 1778 and 1781 and for Virginia also in 1781. The examples in the addition to the Early American Paper Money Collection were issued by an Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 20 March 1777, exactly 246 years ago. The Assembly approved £200,000 to support the army, Dunlap printed bills ranging in denomination from three pence to four shillings, each denomination with a different border.
Arms of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were first introduced in an official capacity on the front of these bills, a seal made up of three images: a ship, a plough, and three sheaves of wheat. The new ‘arms’ replace the British arms which are found on earlier issues. Not merely decorative, these details helped to combat counterfeiting, which was so common that the back of each bill also features a warning: “To Counterfeit is Death”. Yet another check for legitimacy was the paper’s watermark, which reads: “PENSYL/VANIA”.
Revolutionary War Oath of Allegiance was printed by John Dunlap. On 3 June 1777, Pennsylvania enacted a new policy in which all male inhabitants over the age of 18 were required to subscribe to an oath of allegiances before a Justice of the Peace renouncing all allegiances to Great Britain and King George III. The Justices were required to keep a list of all names in a register and submit them annually to the Register of Deeds. The Justice would have received one shilling for every person that they recorded and the Recorder’s Office received five shillings for every hundred names recorded.
Betsy Ross Flag
According to oral history, in 1776, three men, George Washington, then the head of the Continental Army, Robert Morris (b.1734 d.1806), perhaps the wealthiest citizen in the Colonies and George Ross (b.1730 d.1779) a respected Philadelphian and also the uncle of Betsy’s late husband, John Ross (b.1752 d.1776) visited Betsy Ross (b.1752 d.1836) in her upholstery shop. Washington showed Betsy a sketch of a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six-pointed stars.
Washington asked if Betsy could make a flag from the design. Betsy responded: "I do not know, but I will try." This line was used in the sworn statements of many of Betsy's family members, suggesting that it is a direct quote from Betsy. Betsy suggested changing the stars to five points rather than six. She showed them how to do it with just one snip of her scissors. They all agreed to the suggested design change. On 14 June 1777, Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official national flag.
John helped several of his relations to emigrate from Ireland, he was a charitable and fair-minded, and somewhat intemperate person. His major financial success came from real estate speculation during the American Revolution, he bought property confiscated from Loyalists who refused to take Pennsylvania's new loyalty oath. He had amassed a large fortune, held 98,000 acres in Virginia and the adjoining counties of Kentucky and owned land in Utica, Ohio, so by 1795, when he was 48, he was able to retire with a sizable estate.
John penned the follow letter to his sister who was married to Robert Rutherford advising his relatives in Strabane on the method and merit of migration. He wrote in 1785:
My dear sister, by Mr. Orr who will deliver you this I have wrote a letter to your husband Mr. Rutherford and one to your son [Billy]. Should you think of sending him to this country, I will either observe your directions in having him taught some business or judge myself what will be the most suitable for him after he has finished the education you mean to give him, which may be had here as well as in Ireland, for the sooner the boys comes here after they have determined the better ...
At the same time he wrote to his nephew in Strabane:
Dear Billy, Your agreeable letter of last year came safe to hand: the account you there give of your progress in learning is very pleasing: education is the foundation on which young men must build their prospects of future happiness. if it is agreeable to you, your father and mother that you should come to this country, I will observe their directions in having you taught any business you may wish to learn ...
For a time prior to 1787, John and his family lived in the "Declaration House" on the South West corner of Market and Seventh Streets in Philadelphia, where Thomas Jefferson stayed in 1776 while he drafted the Declaration. The family moved in 1797 into a fine mansion he had built in 1790 at Market and Twelfth Streets.
John found retirement disagreeable and according to his friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush, he sought refuge in the bottle and became a drunkard in his final years. John died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the age of 65 on 27 November 1812 of apoplexy (unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from a cerebral haemorrhage or stroke) ironically, as he was reading a newspaper. He was buried with military honours in the graveyard of Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (where Benjamin Franklin is buried). He was survived by his wife Elizabeth who passed away on 26 March 1836, she was laid to rest with John.
Christ Church records show John and Elizabeth Dunlap had six daughters and three sons baptized with the named John, in 1781, 1784 and 1786. It appears only his youngest son, John Ray Dunlap survived to adulthood.
A blue plaque was errected on the front of the house where John Dunlap was born, possibly No 21, Meetinghhouse Street, Strabane. The blue plaque was mounted on the house of the last occupiers Mary, Betty, Patsy & Domnic Shearer (Domnic, was a member of the Clipper Carlton Show Band) which was the middle house of three, two-story terraced houses. To the left was the family of Mary & Barney Mulhern and to the right my Father & Mother, Eddie & Margaret ‘Greta’ Devlin, my family home, No. 19, Meetinghouse Street.
Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Independence Hall is where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. It is now the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park. The building was completed in 1753 as the colonial legislature (later Pennsylvania State House) for the Province of Pennsylvania. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787.
The Eastern State Penitentiary a former American prison and now a museum in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania.
The penitentiary, which was in operation between 1829 and 1971, was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world. Its construction refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment.
Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside it's innovative wagon wheel design. James Bruno (Big Joe) and several male relatives were incarcerated here between 1936 and 1948 for the alleged murders in the Kelayres massacre of 1934, before they were paroled. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide.
Today it stands more in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year, 10 am to 5 pm.
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The Stratford Hall was home to four generations of Lee's plantation, two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Robert E. Lee was born here in 1807, where he lived for his first four years.
This plantation was just a few miles from George Washington's birthplace and James Monroe's birthplace.
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space, in the South Street District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. Spanning spans three city lots and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates.
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city to create the Crosstown Expressway. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous.
The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens.
In 2002 the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
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The Avenue of the Arts the section of the cities designated arts cultural district, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
It includes many of the city's cultural institutions, most notably the theatre district south of City Hall. The availability of public transportation makes Avenue of the Arts highly accessible to visitors.
The name originated in a strategy by mayor Ed Rendell to redevelop South Broad Street in Centre City. The area is overseen by the non-profit organization Avenue of the Arts, Inc. led by Executive Director Karen Lewis.
It is the locale for many of the city's large theatres, including the Kimmel Centre (home of the Philadelphia Orchestra), the Academy of Music, Merriam Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Liacouras Centre, and Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Buildings for the University of the Arts are located just south and east of the Kimmel Centre; the Merriam Theatre is often used for high-end productions involving the school.
Philadelphia International Records' offices and gift shop is also located along this strip. Just south of the strip is the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, and on Broad Street in this vicinity, just north of City Hall, is the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which, founded in 1805, is America's oldest art school and museum and boasts a distinguished collection of American art.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_of_the_Arts_(Philadelphia)
The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building.
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space, in the South Street District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. Spanning spans three city lots and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates.
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city to create the Crosstown Expressway. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous.
The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens.
In 2002 the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
It also has educational programming, performances, tours, and mosaic workshops, all of which are open to the public. Zagar continues to create mosaic murals on the streets of Philadelphia, hundreds of which can be seen in or around the South Street area.
The space is open for public view, from 11:00-18:00 Wednesday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays.
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Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, dit «La Fayette»
né le 6 septembre 1757 au château de Chavaniac, paroisse de Saint-Georges-d'Aurac (province d'Auvergne, actuellement Chavaniac-Lafayette dans la Haute-Loire) et mort le 20 mai 1834 à Paris (ancien 1er arrondissement), est un noble d'orientation libérale, officier et homme politique français. Nommé général par George Washington, Lafayette a joué un rôle décisif aux côtés des Américains dans leur Guerre d'indépendance contre le pouvoir colonial britannique et en particulier lors de la victoire de Yorktown le 19 octobre 1781. Lafayette a aussi oeuvré à l'émergence en France d'un pouvoir royal moderne, avant de devenir une personnalité de la Révolution française jusqu'à son émigration, son arrestation et sa mise en prison pour cinq ans en 1792. Lafayette fut aussi un acteur politique majeur des débuts de la monarchie de Juillet. Surnommé le «héros des deux mondes», il est l'un des huit citoyens d'honneur des États-Unis d'Amérique.
Après la révolution de 1789, La Fayette décide de signer tous ses courriers d'un «Lafayette» en un seul mot, en réaction contre le système nobiliaire. C'est aussi la graphie utilisée par ses contemporains jusqu'à sa mort.
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, known as «La Fayette»
was born on 6 September 1757 at the château of Chavaniac, parish of Saint-Georges-d'Aurac (province of Auvergne, now Chavaniac-Lafayette in the Haute-Loire) and died on 20 May 1834 in Paris (former 1st district), is a liberal-minded nobleman, French officer and politician. Named a general by George Washington, Lafayette played a decisive role alongside the Americans in their War of Independence against British colonial power and particularly during the victory at Yorktown on 19 October 1781. Lafayette also worked for the emergence of a modern royal power in France, before becoming a personality of the French Revolution until his emigration, arrest and imprisonment for five years in 1792. Lafayette was also a major political player in the early days of the July monarchy. Nicknamed the «hero of two worlds», he is one of the eight honorary citizens of the United States of America.
After the 1789 revolution, La Fayette decided to sign all his letters with a single word, in reaction against the nobiliary system. It is also the script used by his contemporaries until his death.
The Old State House, the oldest surviving public building in Boston, was built in 1713 to house the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It stands on the site of Boston's first Town House of 1657-8, which burned in 1711. On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first proclaimed from the balcony on this side of the building, to the jubilant citizens of Boston. I had almost no time for pictures but I took this from a bus window during the snowstorm we had on Jan. 18.
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space, in the South Street District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. Spanning spans three city lots and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates.
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city to create the Crosstown Expressway. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous.
The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens.
In 2002 the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
It also has educational programming, performances, tours, and mosaic workshops, all of which are open to the public. Zagar continues to create mosaic murals on the streets of Philadelphia, hundreds of which can be seen in or around the South Street area.
The space is open for public view, from 11:00-18:00 Wednesday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays.
Information Source:
Came across this shot in my catalog and figured it would make an appropriate upload given the date.
This was taken during a late night, rainy, World Showcase tour with Cory Disbrow, Don Sullivan and Ryan Pastorino. We took cover from the rain in front of the American Adventure Pavilion where a bored castmember invited us inside and handed us a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
I'm not sure what happened to mine after this shot, so there is a very good chance I left it sitting in this very spot on the second floor handrail in the pavilion. If anyone stops by, can you check for me if it's still there :)
In other news, I became an uncle again (for the fourth time) early this morning. That makes one more nephew I'm eager to bring to WDW at some point.
Have a great 4th everyone! See you on the flipside
-Alan
Canon EOS 7D
1/30 sec at f/3.2 | ISO 1600
EF24mm f/1.4L II USM