This is surely the most historic city in the US. Designated
the capital of the lands granted to William Penn by King Charles II, Penn
regarded the colony he founded as a "holy experiment" and ensured
that its laws respected religious freedom and liberal government. He named his
capital after the Greek for "brotherly love," and designed it with
wide streets to ensure that the havoc caused by London's winding maze during
the Great Fire of 1666 would never occur here. His plan became the guide for
most cities in the new nation.
Philadelphia quickly became the second largest metropolis in
the British empire (London was first). Here is where opposition to British
policy in the colonies was centered, and where colonial leaders met to plan
their course of action. Here is where the Declaration of Independence was
written, and here was the first capital of the new United States. Here is the
birthplace of the Constitution of the United State of America, and here is the
home of the Liberty Bell. Benjamin Franklin's efforts made this city a center
for developments in the world of arts and science.
Philadelphia suffered five yellow-fever epidemics between
the years of 1793 and 1820. Thousands died, but the experience led to the
construction of the first city water system in the nation. The 19th century was
also challenging for Philadelphia, as New York City superseded it as the
nation's cultural, commercial and industrial center. Although the City of
Brotherly Love has never recovered its earlier glory, it has restored its
monuments, and is now considered among the nation's best in lifestyle and
character.
Come to Philadelphia and make a little history of your own.
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