October 25, 2003
Road Trip - Day 21: We The People
Three little words: We the people. That was the theme for today.
We got a late start, not leaving the hotel until after noon. Joel had scheduled the rest of the day for us: Independence Hall first, then the National Constitution Center, dinner, then last, the Lights of Liberty tour.
 We took a cab back to the historic part of the city where we picked up our tickets for Independence Hall (pictured left). We got through security pretty quickly, so we had some extra time to look through the buildings surrounding Independence Hall before the tour. We were interested by the documents and exhibits we found in one of the buildings. Several of the exhibits had been donated and/or compiled by such historic figures as Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark.
The tour of Independence Hall was fascinating in its own right. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the smallest details regarding the men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. For instance, while Benjamin Franklin was a quick wit when it came to one-liners, when longer speeches were required he would rabbit-trail to the point of distraction. And George Washington was terribly shy when it came to speaking in public or attracting public attention. Those are the kinds of details that make these historic figures more real, more human. Very fascinating, indeed!
It was also quite moving to be able to stand in the place where these men who founded our country stood and walked and debated and argued and finally agreed. We stood in the very room where these courageous men painstakingly hammered out the foundations of this country, offering up their very lives that this country might be free; the room where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.
And interestingly enough, it was also the room where President Lincoln was laid out for public viewing following his assassination. We were told over 300,000 people lined up to see the body of one of our greatest presidents, in a line that measured about three miles long. Independence Hall was one of the stops his body made before ending up in the Old State Capitol in Springfield, IL that we visited a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing how history is woven together in so many ways.
After Independence Hall, we walked over to the National Constitution Center (see photo below, right) for probably our favorite stop for the day. The experience started with a brief dramatization of our history, complete with the significant voices, pictures, sounds, and music of key moments in history meant to stir our sense of patriotism. I can't speak for everyone else, but it certainly succeeded where I was concerned. By the end, I was moved to tears.
 We then walked through one of the best museums I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. The entire museum was one brilliant exhibit after another, weaving together through drawings, paintings, quotes, audio, video, narration, and mock settings the threads of our history giving us a thorough understanding of so many events from the first colonies to modern day issues and occurances. They had even made it such that the kids were completely engaged. Both Zach and Jenna tried on a robe patterned after the ones the Supreme Court Justices wear. And both were able to take a sample test similar to the one taken by those who wish to become citizens of this great country. Joel got in the spirit of things as well, posing behind a podium copied after the one the President stands behind. (See photo below.)
I wish we had had more time to go through this particular museum. There was just too much to see and listen to and read through. We could have easily spent an entire day there. But closing time approached, so we made a stop in the souvenir shop before leaving to locate a place to have dinner.
The food court/mall in the area closed at 6 p.m., and it was then that we left the museum, so we walked a few blocks looking for some food. The first place we went in served rabbit for a hefty price of $24 a serving. (The cloth napkins and wine glasses on the tables should have clued us in!) So needless to say, we kept walking. We eventually found a Philly cheese steak place called Sonny's that also served hamburgers and chicken fingers. While the food was completely mediocre, the price tag was not. It cost us about $28 for the four of us to eat there. (It would've been nice if they had given us water off the tap, but the bottled water alone cost $6 for the four of us. Stick 'em up!)
We ate rather quickly and made our way over to the last event of the day, the Lights of Liberty tour. We got there a few minutes early, got our headphones, and were ready for the tour at 7:10 p.m. Our tour guides were fashionably dressed in period costumes from the Revolutionary War era. Ricky was our main guide, a spry young fellow sporting a British accent and a sharp wit. He gave us the "drill" then we were on our way walking through the historic district of downtown Philly with about 30 other folks.
We started in Franklin Court, the place where Ben Franklin's home had once stood. At each stop along the way, there was a light show that dramatized pictorally the events leading up to and including the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We each wore headphones (the kids hearing a more simplified version) through which the stories were told by actors, complete with sound effects and music. The tour culminated at Independence Hall, of course, and the finale was a dramatic rendition of "God Bless America." It was the second time today I was moved to tears.
 We were all tired after the events of the day, and our feet were hurting. Even though we will be gaining an hour through daylight savings time later tonight, we got the kids in bed pretty much on time. Joel enjoyed one last treat on the way home however. We took a cab back to the room, and he thoroughly enjoyed talking with the driver--our third in two days. The first was from Tunisia, the second was from the Ukrain, and the third one tonight, was from Viet Nam. Joel had lively conversations with each of them, even getting a picture of the first one yesterday while showing off all the stuff his digital camera could do. I have to admit, it was fun to watch and listen!
Tomorrow is Sunday, and as of this time, we haven't found a place to worship yet. Since this area is so b-a-d, I'm not sure we will find anything close.... We'll just have to wait and see. ("President Joel Comm" pictured at left.)
Posted by at October 25, 2003 09:37 PM
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Comments
you're site reminds me of this second grade classes weblog . Anyway, it is really cool what you are doing. I'm sure you will be quite a resource to any other families that are homeschooling or thinking about it.
Posted by: Monkey | October 25, 2003 11:08 PM