Philadelphia over-commemorates the American Revolution while under-remembering other eras of its long history.
Paul Cahan argues the city has many historical layers beyond 1770s sites, and museums and narratives neglect the 19th century and earlier multicultural influences.
insights INSIGHT
Lenape Lived In Small Mobile Kin Bands
The Lenape (self-named) lived semi-nomadic lives across a vast triangular territory and were organized in small kin-based bands.
Europeans labeled them 'Delaware' after Baron de la Warre, imposing a collective identity that didn't reflect Lenape internal social organization.
insights INSIGHT
Diversity Predated Penn And Enabled Toleration
Early Delaware Valley diversity predated William Penn and created a culture of tacit toleration among Swedes, Dutch, English, and Africans.
Weak imperial control and seasonal trading economies forced coexistence, which Penn later built upon for Pennsylvania's religious tolerance.
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Two hundred fifty years ago, in May 1775, delegates from thirteen British North American colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress.
Why was Philadelphia chosen as the seat of Congress? What made the city a critical hub for revolutionary ideas, commerce, and culture? And how has Philadelphia’s early history shaped the broader narrative of American Independence?
Paul Kahan, a historian of American political, economic, and urban history, joins us to explore Philadelphia’s early American history with details from his book. Philadelphia: A Narrative History, the first comprehensive history book about Philadelphia in over 40 years.
