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All this info your posting is great! And I bet Bostonites will discard it all, and say there better, and more historic. Please! Philly posters posting facts, y'all posting thoughts.
All this info your posting is great! And I bet Bostonites will discard it all, and say there better, and more historic. Please! Philly posters posting facts, y'all posting thoughts.
Glad you like posts that include facts. You might try it a little more often yourself rather than just searching for threads and declaring "Philly is great! It's better than your city!!" Just a thought.
Glad you like posts that include facts. You might try it a little more often yourself rather than just searching for threads and declaring "Philly is great! It's better than your city!!" Just a thought.
I like these lists because they refute the claims of folks who say Philly and Boston haven't contributed much since the revolution.
I don't just shout "Philly is best". I clearly state why I feel that say with at lease one fact. And I don't got time to be posting links, because they will be disregarded.
There are a few things that happened in the city or within a few miles:
1st and 2nd Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress convened in direct response to the Intolerable Acts which was British retaliation against Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.
The Second Continental Congress convened in direct response to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In addition, by the time all the colonies sent their delegates to what was thought to be a central location (Philadelphia), Boston was in full bloody revolt and the cream of the British land and sea forces were bottled up and under siege in the city.
Quote:
Articles of Association
Again, in direct response to the Intolerable Acts which was designed to punish Boston.
Quote:
Declaration of Independence
Conceived and drafted by two Bostonians and a Virginian.
Battle of Trenton (Washington crossing the Delaware)
Battle of Cooch's Bridge (first time US flag flown in battle)
Battle of the Brandywine
Battle of the Clouds
Paoli Massacre
British occupation of Philadelphia
Battle of Germantown
Battle of Fort Mifflin
Valley Forge encampment
None of which would have happened had Massachusetts men not started a revolution.
Quote:
Articles of Confederation
Drafted in response to the revolution which, at that time, was entering its second year...in Boston.
^^^ As I've already said in an earlier post, if anyone claims this is a slam dunk for one city or the other, I would need a lot of convincing. If your post is designed to do that for me, it didn't. I'm ok if the rationale you outlined works for you, however.
I'm curious as to your last point regarding the Museum of the American Revolution, however. The only site I know which was "rejected" was Valley Forge, about a 20 minute drive from Center City Philly. It wasn't an actual rejection but a land swap by the NPS, as it was believed it offer a win/win for both historic sites: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...rical-park6672. If you know of another set of facts, however, it wouldn't be the first time I've been mistaken.
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 04-11-2013 at 04:30 PM..
All this info your posting is great! And I bet Bostonites will discard it all, and say there better, and more historic. Please! Philly posters posting facts, y'all posting thoughts.
I believe most out what is being said by Bostonians (not Bostonites) is that they're of similar stature historically. Joshua has done a good job relating the "firsts" done by Philly to events in Boston. Overall they're the two most historically significant cities in American history.
I believe most out what is being said by Bostonians (not Bostonites) is that they're of similar stature historically. Joshua has done a good job relating the "firsts" done by Philly to events in Boston. Overall they're the two most historically significant cities in American history.
The one thing I disagree with in your post is that logic that Joshua did a good job. It is full of circular logic and factual errors.
An example of circular logic: If there were no Lexington and Concord, there would have been no other battles. True. How that makes Valley Forge, for example, not terribly historic doesn't meet my logic test, however. Time and sequence happen. If we follow this through, it's also true that the moon landing wouldn't have happened if not for Lexington and Concord, but . . . I guess we can extract back to Adam and Eve.
I already pointed out an error on the museum claim. Here are a few more factual errors: First example (referencing the Declaration of Independence):
Quote:
Conceived and drafted by two Bostonians and a Virginian
Instead of one Virginian and two guys from Mass, there was as committtee of 5 who drafted the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson (VA) as lead, ably assisted by Ben Franklin (PA), John Adams, (MA), Roger Sherman (CT) and Robert Livingston (NY). This is the history I was taught.
Second example: The poster seemed to imply that the 2nd year of the revolution was entirely in Boston.
Quote:
. . . the revolution which, at that time, was entering its second year...in Boston.
The revolution was in its 2nd year everywhere. Battles were being fought from GA up the coast into New England. Not sure I get how this was solely a "Boston thing." Here are the actual facts of where the action was: Revolutionary War Timeline
I could look for more factual errors, but the three I've found (including the museum claim in an earlier post) are sufficient for me to see too holes in the post you refer to to lend it much credence at all. If this guys thinks Boson is the slam dunk winner for the claim of the city with the most historical significance - fine. If his logic holds sway for the same clime for you or others, that's perfectly fine with me, as well as this is just an internet forum - not a graded history exam. But the creation of new "facts" to support certain claims simply doesn't stand the test of truth. That's why I stand by my belief that that there is a solid case for either city - it's splitting hairs to try to declare a definitive winner.
What's interesting to me is that some folks chose "Other." I'd like to hear from some of them as to which city they chose and why.
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 04-12-2013 at 09:57 AM..
Not really. I've always put forth the argument that Boston was a bit more important before the Revolutionary War, and Philadelphia was a bit more important afterwards. Neither are glaringly more important than the other and overall are about equally as important.
No they didn't. The United States was nothing back then and the world wasn't connected at all.
I've thought about this thread a bit since history interests me and the assumption implicit in it is that most significant period in American history was the war for independence. There's no doubt the end of the 18th century was very important but I keep thinking about how radically different the United State became in the decades that followed. The nineteenth century saw industrialization, massive immigration and population increases, the expansion West, the abolition of Slavery, the true rise of the cities and a lot of the cultural shifts that still define America today. Even in the context of Boston and Philadelphia the earlier built environments are just a small kernel/remnant inside the much vaster nineteenth century legacy. When viewed from that context I think you could make a reasonable case for other cities although significance gets spread out over time.
Ben
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I guess we can extract back to Adam and Eve.
