Last Friday, Nora, my son JW and his wife Abbye and I went into the city (Philadelphia) for the day. I had received a Walking Tour book for the city a few Christmases ago, so armed with said book, we decided to walk around the Independence Hall area which included the Betsy Ross House, the Ben Franklin museum and the Constitution Building, among others, as well as a few stops from the adjacent "Old City" Tour, Elfreth's Alley and a few very old churches.
We also planned to eat dinner at the Reading Terminal Market, so we found a parking lot about half way between the Market and the walking tour areas, and set out to enjoy the day.
It was a bit hot, so we popped into a few places just to take advantage of the AC, even if we didn't pay the admission price for an actual tour. But we did hear an interesting talk in the Free Quaker Meeting Hall, where we were told that the Quakers who participated in the War for Independence had to (temporarily) split off from the main Quaker sect to fight, Quakers being renowned for non-violence.
We did spend some time in the Ben Franklin Museum, and also took a tour of the building where the Congressional Congress debated, voted on and signed the Declaration of Independence.
While the line to see the Liberty Bell was very long, which meant we did not get to see it up close, it was very enjoyable walking around the sites. At one point, we encountered a statue for Commodore John Barry, who is a distant relative of my wife. Pretty cool.
After strolling around the Market for a bit, we ate sandwiches at one of the many food establishments, then walked back to the car and headed off to the Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park were we had tickets to see Japanese Breakfast open for Death Cab for Cutie. We sat on the lawn under the fading evening light, while dragon flies dipped and dove among the crowd, then enjoyed two good performances into the evening.
All in all, a very nice day, shared with three of my most favorite people.
Two quick observations about the various historical items I learned during our walk.
Well, actually, I knew about this first thing, that George Washington was elected as our first president in a unanimous vote. Of course, for those first few presidential "elections", only the representatives in Congress voted. He received all 69 votes from the electoral college in 1788 and all 132 votes in 1792.
But the point emphasized by the tour guide was that Washington could have been president for life, had he wanted to, but chose to step down voluntarily, in respect for the premise that America didn't want a leader for lifetime, as they had just fought a war to reject the yoke of such a government.
When placed in juxtaposition with the current resident of the White House who blithely talks about a third term, a prospect specifically forbidden by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, and it is crystal clear how far away from the founders ideals a man like Trump has meandered, not to mention how unlike Washington he is, Washington being a man who put his country ahead of himself.
The other interesting thing of note that I learned was that Benjamin Franklin, certainly one of America's greatest innovators, held very few patents when compared to all his inventions. He believed
"that science and knowledge should be shared freely for the benefit of all. He did not seek patents for his inventions because he wanted them to be available to everyone, without restrictions or monopolies. He believed that innovation should be driven by curiosity and the desire to improve the world, rather than by profit or personal gain. His commitment to the public good and his belief in the power of science and education continue to inspire people today."
That doesn't mean he didn't profit from his inventions, but it does mean that he allowed other people to replicate, even improve on his ideas as he thought that the overall progress or America was more important that individual wealth.
Almost socialistic in its philosophy, but certainly far from our current capitalist mindset where law suits which grapple with the ownership of ideas and inventions are as commonplace as the inventions themselves.
Of course, our devotion to capitalism, which, as I have said before, is the worst form of economic system except for all the other ones, is the real problem as we use it as an excuse to put profit ahead of the health of millions of our fellow citizens, among other travesties.
Gotta watch those isms! They will get you every time!
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