Visiting Independence Hall (Historic Site Visit)

So, this past week I decided to visit Independence Mall (or, Independence National Historical Park according to the Park Service), the location of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and several other historic sites. The first thing that I visited was the Liberty Bell, which is located in a large building conveniently named the Liberty Bell Center. There are several alcoves featuring displays that show the Liberty as a symbol of freedom through the history of the United States, and the Liberty Bell itself is at the end of the building, just across the street from Independence Hall, as seen here.

                The Liberty Bell was originally the bell in the Pennsylvania State House (which became Independence Hall) and was forged in 1752. The famous crack in the bell was not a result of the bell being rung on July 4th, 1776 however, the bell was actually poorly cast and the first cracks appeared almost as soon as it was delivered to the State House. The current crack was likely caused sometime during the 18th century.

                After visiting the Liberty Bell I visited the burial site of Benjamin Franklin who is buried in the  Christ Church Burial Ground,  only two blocks from Independence Hall. While not as grandiose or famous as Independence Hall or the Liberty Bell, it was fascinating to see the burial site of one of the U.S. founders.

  

              Finally, there was Independence Hall. The only way to view the interior is to join a tour of the building. Following a brief summary of the causes of the Revolution and the Revolution itself up to 1776. Inside Independence Hall, there are two restored rooms on the ground floor, the Pennsylvania State Courtroom, and the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both signed. Both rooms have been heavily restored, but hold a number of original artifacts. Below are images of Independence Hall, the Courtroom, and the Assembly Room, in that order.

  

             If you're interested in Colonial America or the American Revolution, or just history in general, you should visit Independence National Historical Park. Even if you are already familiar with the subjects there, actually seeing them in person is amazing.

My Philosophy of History

                Part of my philosophy of history is that the purpose of studying history is to learn from the past. I would argue that the tendency for the historian to focus on the importance of knowing facts and dates is a detriment to the study of history. Too often the historian makes the focus of history the memorizing facts and dates and who was who, often getting caught up in the minutiae of history. There is nothing wrong with facts, dates, and knowing who historical figures are, the issue is when a historian makes knowing facts about the past the purpose of studying history. In my view, the importance of history is in learning from the past, not simply learning about it. I see very little point in studying the past for the sake of knowing the past; there is no practicality in that. Studying the past for the sake of itself can be very enjoyable of course, but it should not be the historian's priority. I see the importance of history in the lessons that can be learned from it. The events, ideas, and people of the past can have valuable lessons for the current day.

                Another aspect of my philosophy of history is that history is in a way the story of mankind. It is important to remember that history is about real people and real events. When learning about history and evaluating, it is important for historians to be careful not to judge the people of history too harshly.  Historical figures were real people who made mistakes, so it is important to be objective when studying them. This is not to say that were not evil or good people in history, but it is essential for the historian not to idolize or demonize them. 

Goals

As required by the class that I created this blog for, my first blog post is a statement of my career aspirations and possibilities. 

My goal is to become a military historian in the realm of public history. By this I mean that I wish to find work at a historic site or museum that is related to military history. While I would prefer to work in a military history museum as opposed to working at a historic site, both are appealing to me. Modern military history is my main area of interest, but I love any era of military history, and naval history for that matter, which I have also considered seeking a career in. There are plenty of opportunities for work as a military historian when it comes to historic sites, due to battlefield sites from the Revolutionary War and the US Civil War. The US National Park Service oversees a large number of military history sites, including Gettysburg National Military Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, and the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area. There are also opportunities for a military historian within the US military as a civilian. There also other museums that are not run by either the National Park Service or the military. One example of an independent museum is the American Armored Foundation Tank Museum located in Danville, VA. I don't want to become a military historian simply because I have a strange fascination with warfare and military equipment, although I do. I want to help to educate the people of the United States about warfare and the reasons behind many of the wars that the United States has been in and why they turned out the way that they did.

For the record, check out the AAF Tank Museum in Danville, it's awesome.