In Philadelphia For The Fourth Of July

My family spent the Fourth of July in Philadelphia. This was a last-minute decision, but it was the right one. Much to my surprise, decent mileage tickets were available only a few days in advance, and there were plenty of hotel rooms available for points. Indeed, even with a World Cup game on Saturday, the city still had plenty of capacity. (It would have been poetic if the United States faced off against England on the Fourth of July.)

I had not been to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in more than a decade, and this would have been the first time doing so with my kids. Alas, the circumstances did not allow. It was over 100 degrees and the lines were never-ending. Also, Independence Hall did not permit any water past security. This was not going to work for youngins. In the morning, the line wrapped around the block. At 3:00 p.m., the line for Independence Hall was still nearly two hours long, so I did it solo.  Still, I have to think of our forefathers who toiled in that same heat, with the windows drawn at Independence Hall. We have little to complain about. Indeed, every time I visit Independence Hall, I marvel at how small the room is. The famous painting by John Trumbull was not intended to be an accurate depiction. There was barely enough space to fit 50-odd chairs.

We did spend some quality time at the National Constitution Center, which was (thankfully) air conditioned. They had free admission, and lots of activities for kids. We also took a walk to Betsy Ross’s house, which I had not visited since I was a little kid. There was a kind actress playing the role of Betsy Ross. She demonstrated how Ross was able to make a five-pointed star by folding paper and making a single cut. It was very kid-friendly. Still, I didn’t know that there is no actual documentary evidence that Ross made the first American flag in June 1776. ndeed, we don’t even know if Washington ever actually visited Ross’s house. The best evidence we have are stories that Ross and her family told years later. I The story is more complex than I remembered.

We also visited the National Museum of American Jewish History, which I had not been to before. I’ve read that Jewish museums throughout the world have had low attendance, so I made a point to patronize it. On Sunday afternoon, the museum was practically empty. I thought this museum did an excellent job telling the story of Jews in America from the 17th century to the present.

Back to Independence Hall. As I walked through the site, I thought of the litigation over the President’s House, and the White House’s recent critical report of the Smithsonian Institute. The report concluded:

The report identifies a broad pattern: the Founders are minimized, if not entirely excluded; traditional patriotic narratives are treated with suspicion, if not outright contempt; and the basic symbols and stories that once helped unify Americans are presented not as reasons for gratitude and inspiration, but as objects to be inherently questioned, dismantled, “problematized,”17 and reinterpreted to achieve ideological ends.

I could not agree more.

Let me give you two examples. At Independence Hall, the rangers handed out maps that highlighted different locations around town. Each location had a short blurb.

First, there was the Declaration House:

In 1776 Thomas Jefferson, accompanied by enslaved valet Robert Hemmings, rented two rooms on the second floor. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence here. The house was rebuilt in 1975.

Why is it necessary here to mention that Jefferson was accompanied by Hemmings? Jefferson wrote what might be the most important document in world history, and that fact comes after who accompanied him. That fact is irrelevant and only serves to diminish Jefferson. And to what end? Everyone knows Jefferson owned slaves. It gets worse.

Second, there was the President’s House Site:

George Washington and John Adams created the office of president while living and working at this site. Washington’s large staff included at least nine enslaved Africans. Adams never owned slaves. Hired servants, possibly including enslaved African Americans, worked in the household.

Our first President lived in this House. He made countless decisions that affected the fate of the nation in this building. But all we learned is that Washington employed slaves. And John Adams, who opposed slavery, is still tainted with the charge that he possibly employed enslaved Africans. Whoever made this map was trying to advance an agenda.

I’ve given a lot of thought to Justice Jackson’s dissent in Barbara. (Much more about that case in due course.) KBJ is so concerned about erasure. The bigger concern, in my view, is not erasure, but the deliberate distortion of American history. The Patriots who founded this country should be celebrated, not unduly denigrated. And every effort to push back against this brazen indoctrination is worthwhile.