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Philadelphia, sometimes called the “birthplace of the nation,” was actually the nation’s capital between 1791 and 1800.
It was in Philadelphia that the Declaration of Independence was signed and in Philadelphia that the U.S. Constitution was written.
It is here that you will find the Liberty Bell. Walking through the cobblestone streets of Old City Philadelphia, you will still
find preserved the same colonial architecture.
Founded with utopian vision by Quaker William Penn, Philadelphia is “the city of brotherly love.” Philadelphia, especially the Germantown
section of the city, was a center of the 19th-century American movement to abolish slavery, and the
Johnson House
(open to the public)
was one of the key sites of that movement. The Quaker tradition remains strong today with Quaker institutions and Quaker schools promoting
values of Peace and Justice. Of course, readers of Michel Foucault may be interested in one other particular legacy of the Quaker past:
Eastern State Penitentiary
(open to the public) that is a Penopticon Foucault mentions in Discipline and Punish.
For a long time during the twentieth century, Philadelphia received little respect, and Philadelphians were known for their self-effacement.
Comedian and Actor, W.C. Fields, himself born in the city, once proposed an epitaph for his gravestone reading, “On the whole, I’d rather
be in Philadelphia.”
Today, with approximately 1.6 million people, Philadelphia is the nation’s fifth largest city and a center of multicultural diversity.
It is forty percent African American and has an African American Mayor. It has a very vibrant gay and lesbian community and a very strong
culture of social activism. It voted 90% against George W. Bush in the last presidential election, carrying the whole state for the Democrats.
After the so-called “Philadelphia renaissance,” Philadelphia has been named America’s “number one restaurant city,”
and “America’s friendliest
city.” It is home to a
Rodin Museum and to the
world-class
Philadelphia Museum of Art, up the stairs to which
“Rocky” famously ran. (Amid much controversy, a Rocky statue has just been placed there.)
Within a five minute walk of the conference venue, you will find the
University Archeological Museum
and the
Institute of Contemporary Art.
What makes Philadelphia so special is not only what is in it but also what is close to it. Two hours from New York and three from Washington,
Philadelphia is also an hour from the famous Jersey shore, where Atlantic City in particular gave the game Monopoly such names as Marvin
Gardens and Park Place. An hour in the other direction takes you into the
Pocono Mountains or to historic Lancaster, home of the
Amish.
Close by as well is
Valley Forge, where George Washington wintered with his troops, and, a little farther away, the town of
Gettysburg, the
site of the turning point battle in the American Civil War.
All things considered, you would rather be in Philadelphia. Check out more on your own by clicking onto the
Visitor’s Guide.
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