Articles, USA East, Midwest, South

An Antidote to Intolerance in Philadelphia, Pennysylvania

by Lee Foster

At a time when intolerance is on the rise worldwide, it’s worth exploring again the city of Philadelphia and its special legacy. The founding of this city was, arguably, one of the more articulate statements of tolerance in the history of our species. The vision for the city of Philadelphia and state of Pennsylvania was expounded by William Penn and carried forth by luminaries such as Benjamin Franklin.

Such a visit can be an antidote to a time when intolerance dominates the news, especially the worldwide struggle between Christians/Jews and Muslims. The struggle in the Middle East and Iraq now takes center stage, but a few years ago it was being played out in Yugoslavia. Similarly, the conflict between Hindi and Muslims in Kashmir is occasionally close to a full-war confrontation.

Periodically I return to Philadelphia to reacquaint myself with its founding visionaries and meditate on their legacy, all the while enjoying the creativity and prosperity that freedom has nurtured there.

REFLECTIONS AT INDEPENDENCE PARK

Even the most jaded observer may find his or her spirit renewed in a private walk through Independence Park. As everyone knows, this was where two great documents took shape. The Declaration of Independence outlined the founding principles of our new nation. The Constitution, a constitution with longevity, codified the relationship between citizens and their government.

What strikes one as truly revolutionary here was the attitude of the young Quaker aristocrat, William Penn, who founded the state of Pennsylvania. Stung by religious persecution of his sect in England, Penn set off to the New World to found a new state. The king of England gave him land to settle a debt to Penn’s father. What was special about Penn was the scope of his imagination. He could have founded a new state for Quaker worshipers only, but he enlarged the notion. “Penn’s woods” or Pennsylvania would be a place of religious freedom for all sects willing to mutually respect one another. Other colonies had freedom of religion only for the dominant sect.

His “city of brotherly love” or Philadelphia offered the promise of widespread freedoms, which Penn regarded as a Holy Experiment. Penn’s “Great Law of Pennsylvania” guaranteed many freedoms, such as freedom of conscience, judicial restraint, voting rights, fair taxation, access to education, and opportunity for employment. In 1701 these thoughts evolved into a Charter of Privileges.

This approach brought energetic people from many groups to the city. Jews were allowed to own property. Philadelphia was anti-slavery, and city records recorded that Free Blacks owned more than $500,000 in real estate there in 1847, shortly before the slavery issue led to the Civil War.

The Liberty Bell, that icon of freedom in Independence Park, is poignant partly because bells were used at the time to create a community. Long before the daily newspaper or the Internet, the ringing of the bell was the message that summoned the populace. With the people assembled, the news of the day could be related or even a Declaration might be read.

Philadelphia’s leading citizen of the Revolutionary era, Benjamin Franklin, paid a high price for service to his country. Franklin’s convictions cost him the affection of his own son, who disagreed with Dad about loyalty to the British. Another personal cost to Franklin was the simple family joy that long assignments to London and Paris required, as he represented the interests of the colonies. The touching letters between Ben and his wife Deborah, over his long absences, are masterpieces of family literature. Deborah was to die shortly before his return from London. One can admire Franklin also for his dedication to learning and his restless ingenuity, which created such innovations as the Franklin stove, a more efficient home heater.

Philadelphia has an ability to inspire, to renew, to awaken in each of us a sense of our political forefathers. They were great men, ancestors it is easy to be proud of, something that a quiet walk in Independence Park can remind us of. When they became Signers of the Declaration, they put their lives on the line.

The accidental fact that Pennsylvania happened to be the central place in the colonies, where all colonial leaders from the north or south could meet conveniently to discuss the future, had a profound effect on the documents defining our new country. Penn’s vision for his colony became transformed and enlarged as the blueprint for an entire nation.

AMENITIES AT INDEPENDENCE PARK

Many aspects of Independence Park and Philadelphia also show a level of civility that is appealing.

The city was laid out with true city planning, on a grid system, with houses to be located for the most part in the middle of the lot, allowing for garden and orchard room around the house. Such spaced houses were also less vulnerable to fire catastrophe. Four planned squares of green open space created public commons meant to make this a “greene country towne.”

Brick was the building material of choice. Handsome brick structures, from simple houses to the Pennsylvania Statehouse, known to us as Independence Hall, are architectural treasures. An observer in an 1838 book titled Views of Philadelphia said of Independence Hall, “No public edifice exists among us, which is cherished so warmly in the feelings of the citizens.”

Even the main commercial building, the Philadelphia Exchange, from 1834, shows an elegance of design rare in a commercial structure.

Some 18th-century gardens have been re-created, showing the neat, geometric design favored by English and French horticultural stylists of the day.

The Delaware River waterfront, which helped create Philadelphia’s wealth as an ocean-access port, is now a walking promenade known as Penn’s Landing. There you can see some historic ships from later periods, such as the cruiser USS Olympia, Admiral George Dewey’s flagship during the Spanish-American War.

The food of the Revolutionary period is served in an authentic restaurant known as City Tavern, originally built in 1773. You can drink an ale said to be brewed from a recipe favored by Thomas Jefferson. The turkey pie is a favorite on the menu. Waitpersons in 18th-century costumes serve your food on re-created stoneware of the period. John Adams once called City Tavern “the most genteel tavern in America” because it was the center of social and political discussion during the Revolutionary era.

A handsome Visitor Center orients a traveler to Independence Park, which is often called “America’s most historic square mile.” The outline of Ben Franklin’s house is recreated as a white steel frame, just the ghost of the house in the open air, requiring an observer to imagine what went inside. Adjacent is a museum where you can see his desk, a musical instrument he created, called the armonica, and original books from his printing press.

The National Constitution Center presents a provocative one-man performance, called Freedom Rising, about the eternally unfinished work of creating a democracy for a free people. The visitor is reminded of what was not resolved in 1787, such as the issue of slavery in the new country, where one fifth of the people were slaves. This theatrical performance catalogs how each generation struggles to make the ideals of the Constitiuion actually realized for more people. In one moving display on an upper floor, you can walk amidst the bronze sculptures of the deliberators at work and imagine the conversations that occurred.

THE ATHENS OF AMERICA

Philadelphia fostered a milieu where culture flourished. Dubbed the “Athens of the Americas” in the 18th century, Philadelphia was the second-largest English-speaking city on the planet at the time (after London, of course). As the early U.S. capital, 1790-1800, Philadelphia’s position was preeminent.

The culture of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania has never been precious, however. Though cultured, the state has always been a brawny place. It is said that 40 percent of the military material thrown against the Germans in World War I came from Pennsylvania.

Today the traveler can see a cultural legacy alive in various museums and institutes. A collegian could partake of the legacy by attending Penn State.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the nation’s major urban museums, with eclectic holdings. In the American section, you can pause before a complete collection of Shaker furniture and admire its elegant simplicity of line, especially when seen in a context with many other pieces. A silver teapot of Paul Revere is on display. Several paintings by Thomas Eakins, who was a local, can be viewed. Other major holdings include Far Eastern art, European religious art, a major exhibit of the armor of medieval knighthood, and modern art, including some choice pieces, such as one of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers.

The Franklin Institute of Science celebrates the scientific inventiveness and curiosity for which Ben Franklin was so noted. The Institute carries the concept to the modern period, especially with electricity and computers. Designed primarily as a hands-on experience for children, with intriguing yet indestructible exhibits, the Franklin Institute can excite a tinkering ingenuity in the observer.

The Barnes Foundation in nearby Merion contains a select number of modern European masters, such as Cézanne and Renoir. The major paintings seldom travel. The museum reflects one man’s passion for surrounding himself with beautiful objects and wishing to convey to others how art can uplift the spirit. Plans are underway to relocate the Barnes collection to within the inner city.

The Philadelphia Symphony has legendary status in the field of classical music. Young travelers will enjoy a nightlife of pub crawling, small cafes, and specialty shops on trendy South Street, between 2nd and 7th, especially on a weekend night.

PHILADELPHIA’S CULINARY ARTS

The contemporary culinary arts also flourish here, often in small proprietary establishments with a firm, guiding direction. Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson were known to dine well, and so does the modern traveler.

Chef Jack McDavid has raised his fond childhood memories of “mama’s own cooking” to high culinary levels at his Jack’s Firehouse, where the freshest produce and exotic meats, such as bear (farmed in South Dakota), grace the menu.

The Reading Terminal Market, a farmer’s market for more than a hundred years, has been transformed into a cluster of food shops and small restaurants.

Campo’s is a typical, Italian, small, family-run operation where you can sit on the chairs outside and enjoy a Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

The Philadelphia Fish & Company is a modern fine-dining milieu where the yellowfin seared tuna would be a good choice.

If you’re planning a picnic in the countryside or looking for a selection of special cheeses, olives, and wine for a hotel-room celebration, the choice place for sourcing would be DiBruno Brothers. They carry hundreds of artisan cheeses from Europe and the United States, as a start.

Because Pennsylvania judiciously controls alcohol sales, selling all beverages with authority through state bottle shops, meanwhile carefully controlling liquor licenses in restaurants, a strong tradition of a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) class of restaurants has arisen. One good BYOB is Mercato, where the chef tasting menu offers a Mediterranean flair for olive oils and a braised rockfish.

Away from the downtown, in the trendy area known as Manayunk, the restaurant Sonoma shows just how eclectic Philadelphia can be. Its “Italafornia” cuisine might start with warm bread dipped in pepper-flavored olive oil, move on to a hearty tomato soup with lentils and carrots, and conclude with an inventive artichoke pizza. The Main Street of Manayunk has many specialty shops and boutiques, pleasant to browse.

TIPS FOR A PHILADLEPHIA VISIT

Here are some further tips for a pleasurable Philadelphia visit:

*Beyond the blockbuster museums, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, seek out the choice specialized museums, such as the Rodin Museum. Two impressive works there are his Gates of Hell and his Burghers of Calais. The latter is a powerful statement of several doomed men of Calais offered as siege hostages. With hanging ropes around their necks, they offer themselves to save the city.

*Murals are a major art form in the city. Some are quite inventive. For example, seek out a trompe l’oeil mural showing William Penn and Ben Franklin on the sides of buildings at Chestnut between 23rd and 24th.

*Public sculptures are also a major amenity in the city. The Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture at JFK Plaza is a prime example.

*Within the historic area, there are the quieter, smaller treausures to examine. There is Betsy Ross’s house, honoring the woman who sewed the first 13-star flag. There is Elfreth’s Alley, an example of a quiet, private street of homes from long ago, said to be the oldest continuously occupied residential street in the eastern United States.

*Fairmount Park in Philadelphia is one of the major expansive urban parks in the country. Start at a promontory behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art and gaze down from the outdoor viewing area at the Waterworks on the Schuylkill River. The Waterworks was such a hydro engineering masterpiece that it is said to have been the most popular tourism attraction in America in the 19th century. Then venture a mile up the river and park your car beyond Boathouse Row for a walk or bike ride along the river, observing in the morning the scullers who perfect their rowing arts along the stream. This is one of the loveliest walks in the city. Exploring further in this huge urban park, you can visit a restored mansion, Lemon Hill, linger in the Horticultural Center, with its plants under glass, and pause for a tranquil moment at the Japanese House. One of the satisfying panoramic views of the city in the afternoon is from Belmont Mansion Drive. Major plans are underway in the years ahead to celebrate in Fairmount Centennial Park the historic buildings that remain extant from the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition, a phenomenon that must have been awesome to experience. One quarter of the American population, 10 of 40 million people, came to Philadelphia in that year to celebrate the founding of the country and marvel at new inventions.

*The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology boasts one of the world’s great collections of Egyptiana and other Middle Eastern historic cultures. Peruse the resources of this major collecting institution.

*Outside the city, there are two blockbuster attractions to consider, Valley Forge and Longwood Gardens. Each is a half-day to day trip in itself. Valley Forge National Historical Park was where George Washington successfully mustered the Revolutionary Army during a particularly trying winter in the struggle against British forces. Today you can enjoy the rolling grasslands and oak forests of this bucolic place, which has plenty of hiking paths, plus Washington’s headquarters house, historic cannon, a notable Memorial Arch, re-created solider log houses, and a covered bridge. Longwood is one of the great American gardens to experience, both outdoors in the flowering period, equally for its blossoms and its topiary, and indoors under glass, 12 months a year, including during the chilly Pennsylvania winter.

A FINAL THOUGHT ON PHILADELPHIA

A generous, revolutionary moment in world history occurred here in 1682. Young William Penn founded a political entity based on total tolerance, where people of all faiths and political persuasions were invited to live in a condition of mutual respect. Penn’s experiment had no exact parallel in earlier human history. The young Quaker’s practical achievement of his ideal of tolerance should never be forgotten, and should often be celebrated, especially in our troubled era of increasingly destructive intolerance.

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PHILADELPHIA: IF YOU GO

For further information, contact the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, 30 S. 17th St., Suite 1710, Philadelphia, PA 19103; 215/599-0776; www.gophila.com.

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Copyright © 2012 Lee Foster, Foster Travel Publishing. All rights reserved.

This article was written by Lee Foster of Foster Travel Publishing. Contact Lee at .

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