NRB Press release
April 19, 2004
National Archives, Mid Atlantic Region, Opens Exhibition on Philadelphia as the Nation's Capital in April 2004
The National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region is pleased to announce the opening of its new gallery feature, "The Constitution at Ground Level: Philadelphia 1790-1810". The exhibition provides a window into the time when Philadelphia was the seat of our national government.
Philadelphia is where the new institutions of the American democracy were established. The City streetscape evidences the United States Constitution in action and the emerging American republic. In 1790 Philadelphia was a very compact city with the majority of the population concentrated from 6th Street to the Delaware River. As the most important port in the new nation, the City's riverfront was essential for local and national commerce, international communication, national defense, and immigration. With the Federal presence, City residents were regularly engaged with foreign diplomats and representatives, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials including Presidents George Washington and John Adams. Independence Hall (then the Pennsylvania State House) was the meeting place for Federal, state and local governmental operations. Ordinary residents, like Chief Coiner Henry Voigt, were among our nation's first Federal employees. Even when the national government moved to Washington, D. C. in 1800, a Federal presence remained in Philadelphia and continues today.
Through "The Constitution at Ground Level", visitors will be able to explore the emerging American nation through little seen early Federal records in the National Archives Mid-Atlantic Region. These records give a glimpse of the archival legacy that has been left to us by our early government. The records offer important insights into everyday life in the City during this formative period. And, they underscore that the Federal presence not only shaped the texture of life and many daily activities in the City, but also that Philadelphia and its residents continued to shape the national experience beyond the country's founding.
The exhibition is free and open to the public during the National Archives' business hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Mid Atlantic Regional Archives facility is located 900 Market Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-4292 (entrance on Chestnut Street, between 9th and 10th Streets.) For additional PRESS information, please contact V. Chapman-Smith at 215.606.0102 or via e-mail at v.chapman-smith@nara.gov.
