We chose to spend the Fourth of July in Philadelphia on very short notice, and the move proved to be a good one. To my surprise, affordable mileage-based tickets were still obtainable only a few days ahead, and there were ample hotel rooms available for points. In fact, even with a World Cup match taking place on Saturday, the city had plenty of capacity to welcome visitors. It would have been a nice touch if the United States had faced England on Independence Day.
I hadn’t visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in more than ten years, and this would have been the first opportunity to share the experience with my kids. Unfortunately, the circumstances prohibited it. The heat exceeded 100 degrees, and the lines were never-ending. Additionally, Independence Hall would not allow any water beyond security, which wasn’t feasible for young children. In the morning, the queue stretched around the block. By 3:00 p.m., the wait for Independence Hall remained nearly two hours, so I tackled it on my own. Still, I can’t help but think of our forefathers laboring in the same heat with the windows shut at Independence Hall. We have little to complain about. Every visit to Independence Hall reminds me how small the room is, and the famous painting by John Trumbull wasn’t meant to be a precise depiction; there was barely enough room to seat about fifty people.
We did manage to spend meaningful time at the National Constitution Center, which thankfully was air-conditioned. Admission was free, and there were numerous activities tailored for children. We also walked to Betsy Ross’s house, a place I hadn’t seen since I was a child. An amiable actress played Betsy Ross and demonstrated how Ross could craft a five-pointed star with a single fold and cut. It was very kid-friendly. Yet I learned there is no definitive documentary evidence that Ross sewed the first American flag in June 1776. In fact, we aren’t even sure Washington ever visited Ross’s house. The most credible evidence comes from stories told by Ross and her family years later. The history behind the tale is more intricate than I recalled.
We also visited the National Museum of American Jewish History, a stop I hadn’t made before. I’ve read that Jewish museums around the world have struggled with attendance, so I made a point to support this one. On a Sunday afternoon, the museum was virtually empty, but I felt it did an excellent job of telling the story of Jews in America from the 17th century to the present.
Returning to Independence Hall, I found myself thinking about the litigation surrounding the President’s House and the White House’s recent critical report of the Smithsonian Institution. The report summarized its findings as follows:
The document identifies a broad pattern: the Founders are minimized, if not entirely erased; traditional patriotic narratives are treated with suspicion, if not outright disdain; and the core symbols and stories that once united Americans are presented not as grounds for gratitude and inspiration, but as entities to be questioned, dismantled, and reinterpreted to advance ideological ends.
I could not disagree more.
To illustrate the point, consider two examples. At Independence Hall, rangers handed out maps highlighting various locations around the city, each accompanied by a short note.
First, there is the Declaration House:
In 1776 Thomas Jefferson, accompanied by his enslaved valet Robert Hemmings, rented two rooms on the second floor. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence here. The house was rebuilt in 1975.
Is it truly necessary to foreground Hemmings’s presence? Jefferson authored what many consider the most consequential document in world history, and that fact is overshadowed by noting who accompanied him. That detail feels unnecessary and, in effect, diminishes Jefferson’s legacy. And to what end? It’s widely known that Jefferson owned enslaved people. The issue only compounds.
Second, there is the President’s House Site:
George Washington and John Adams established the office of the presidency while living and working at this site. Washington’s substantial 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 resided in this House, making countless decisions that shaped the nation’s fate within these walls. Yet the takeaway presented is that Washington employed enslaved people. And John Adams, who opposed slavery, is still stained with the claim that he may have employed enslaved Africans. Whoever created this map appears to be advancing a particular agenda.
I have spent considerable time reflecting on Justice Jackson’s dissent in Barbara. (More on that case will come in due course.) Justice KBJ is deeply worried about erasure. But in my view, the bigger concern is not erasure alone, but the deliberate distortion of American history. The Patriots who founded this country deserve celebration, not undue denigration. And every effort to resist this brazen indoctrination is worthwhile.
