I: Plague, Fire          II: Philadelphia         III: Circulation           IV: Urban Limits          V: Tripping               VI: Reform            VII: Expositions



Cavitch/Gamer
Transatlantic Traffic

Excursion instructions and writing assignment for 1/25/02

  • On Friday, January 25, we will not meet together in our regular recitation sections.  Instead, you will use the time to make an excursion on your own (or in small groups, if you prefer) to Center City, and then you’ll write a short essay in reaction to what you discover there.  The point of this exercise is twofold: 1) to enhance your reading of Franklin’s Autobiography and your study of early Philadelphia; and 2) to help you complete the writing assignment below. Note: Please bring your copy of the Autobiography with you; you'll need it.

  • Begin your walk at the top of Market Street, where it intersects with Front Street.  (You can get there easily and cheaply from campus by bus or subway; there’s also ample metered parking along Front Street.)  As you know from his Autobiography, Franklin arrived at the Market Street Wharf on Sunday, October 6, 1723, and made his way from there up to Market Street.  (The waterfront as Franklin knew it no longer exists.  Indeed, present-day Philadelphians have a much less direct connection with the Delaware River than the Philadelphians of Franklin’s day.  But if you’re feeling adventurous you can take the footbridge across the highway to Penn’s Landing to get a sense of how the river looks today and what’s going on both on and around its Pennsylvania and New Jersey banks.  It’s still a busy place.) 

  • From Front Street, walk, as Franklin did, west on Market Street, imagining yourself back into the Philadelphia that he first encountered as a 17-year-old and noting the various stops he mentions making in the Autobiography (some of them are listed below*).  Make your way to the collection of historical sites known as “Franklin Court” (free; open daily 9 to 5) and explore the various exhibits there (both above and below ground!).  Exit Franklin Court on the Chestnut Street side, and turn right onto Chestnut Street.  Turn right onto South 2nd Street.  On the east side of South 2nd Street, just past the parking structure, is the installation/exhibit known as “Welcome Park.”  Take a look around at the timeline of William Penn’s life and at the fanciful map of Philadelphia in the pavement.  Continue south on South Second Street and turn right onto Walnut Street.  (Note the beautiful Exchange building at the corner of Walnut and 3rd.)  Keep walking west on Walnut Street for three blocks until you reach Independence Mall.  To the north, you'll have a terrific view of the rear of Independence Hall.  If you have the time and the inclination, do some further exploring: the tour of Independence Hall is usually superb, as are adjacent sites like the first Supreme Court.  When you’re done, head home (or to the nearest coffee-house) and write your two-page response to the following assignment:

  • Due in class on Monday, January 28: In a two-page essay (approx. 600 words), focus on one of the many historical sites and memorials you've visited (such as the Tamamend memorial, the excavations of Franklin's house, the Penn timeline at Welcome Park, the Cuba Libre restaurant, etc.): whatever site or memorial you pick, consider its relation to Philadelphia past (the late-17th/early-18th century past we've been studying) and present (January 2002), and use your thoughts and observations to answer the following questions: How does Philadelphia remember (or forget) historical figures like Penn and Franklin?  How do present-day Philadelphians inhabit the history of their city?  Be as specific as possible about your own experience of the places you visited.
     

    *Here are some of the Franklin-related sites to note on your walk: