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View Poll Results: Which U.S. city has the most historical significance?
Boston 36 41.86%
Philadelphia 34 39.53%
Other 16 18.60%
Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 04-12-2013, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,600,572 times
Reputation: 3663

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua View Post
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.

Again, in direct response to the Intolerable Acts which was designed to punish Boston.

Conceived and drafted by two Bostonians and a Virginian.

Modeled, almost verbatim, after the oldest constitution in the world, The State Constitution of Massachusetts.
Constitution of Massachusetts, 1780

None of which would have happened had Massachusetts men not started a revolution.

Drafted in response to the revolution which, at that time, was entering its second year...in Boston.

The most significant city in a central location.

After several other sites were rejected.
Lol I think it's funny that you are trying to downplay Philadelphia's importance in American history for some reason. Also, I hope you're not a history teacher, because you have a lot of errors in your so called "facts."
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:15 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,600,572 times
Reputation: 3663
I would like to know what these "other" places are that are more historically significant than Philadelphia or Boston that people are choosing lol.
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:34 PM
 
Location: Boston, MA
14,459 posts, read 11,198,221 times
Reputation: 8970
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343 View Post
Lol I think it's funny that you are trying to downplay Philadelphia's importance in American history for some reason. Also, I hope you're not a history teacher, because you have a lot of errors in your so called "facts."
I'm responding to posts downplaying Boston's importance compared to Philly.

And where are my errors? Please enlighten me.
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,860 posts, read 34,362,591 times
Reputation: 14961
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343 View Post
I would like to know what these "other" places are that are more historically significant than Philadelphia or Boston that people are choosing lol.
New York? Williamsburg possibly?
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:41 PM
 
Location: In the heights
36,881 posts, read 38,781,820 times
Reputation: 20894
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343 View Post
I would like to know what these "other" places are that are more historically significant than Philadelphia or Boston that people are choosing lol.
New York is the one that jumps out as having the most likely claim to this as it's been at the head of so many significant US and sometimes world events.
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:43 PM
 
9,961 posts, read 17,429,426 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler View Post
New York is the one that jumps out as having the most likely claim to this as it's been at the head of so many significant US and sometimes world events.
Since history isn't limited to just "colonial history" (which New York has as well, just not as much was preserved as Philadelphia), a case could be made for New York on the basis of how much important historical sites it has from the early-mid 19th Century on through the 20th Century... Though, I voted for Philly on this one originally...
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,860 posts, read 34,362,591 times
Reputation: 14961
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler View Post
New York is the one that jumps out as having the most likely claim to this as it's been at the head of so many significant US and sometimes world events.
It's also older than Philadelphia and at least as old as Boston.
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,860 posts, read 34,362,591 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deezus View Post
Since history isn't limited to just "colonial history" (which New York has as well, just not as much was preserved as Philadelphia), a case could be made for New York on the basis of how much important historical sites it has from the early-mid 19th Century on through the 20th Century... Though, I voted for Philly on this one originally...
New York actually has more surviving 17th Century structures than either Boston or Philadelphia.

List of the oldest buildings in New York - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of the oldest buildings in Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bulk of Philadelphia's surviving 18th Century structures are located in Germantown/Mt. Airy (whoop!)
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Old 04-12-2013, 03:58 PM
 
Location: Boston, MA
14,459 posts, read 11,198,221 times
Reputation: 8970
[quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by jm02 View Post
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 never downplayed their importance, but now that you mention it, I would think that the very first shots fired at the beginning of any war are going to be quite a bit more important than battles that took place during the war. Which do you remember more the firing on Fort Sumter that commenced the Civil War or the Battle of Five Forks.

Quote:
I already pointed out an error on the museum claim. Here are a few more factual errors:
No, you didn't point out any errors there, there were two locations at Valley Forge considered before Philadelphia was picked through dealmaking with the NPS.
Quote:
First example (referencing the Declaration of Independence):
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.
"Jefferson was then given the task of writing a draft for the Declaration of Independence, which from June 11 to June 28 he worked on. Before he presented the Declaration to the Continental Congress, he showed it to John Adams and Benjamin Franklin; they made revisions. He presented the draft to Congress on July 1, 1776"

Quote:
Second example: The poster seemed to imply that the 2nd year of the revolution was entirely 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
The Revolutionary War was absolutely not "being fought everywhere" in 1776. In fact it wasn't until August of 1776 that any other major battles were fought against the British and that was the Battle of Long Island. This was more than a year after the bloody Battle of Bunker Hill and more than four months after the end of the Siege of Boston ended with a British withdrawal.
Like I said, Boston was in full bloody revolt for more than a year before anything of consequence happened anywhere else. And those other things were a direct result of Boston leading America to independence.

A few skirmishes between loyalists and patriots were not a part of the Revolution against the Crown. That was between the patriots and British forces.

Quote:
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.
I never said it was a slam dunk. But I'm also not going to stand by while you guys giggle at the thought that Boston holds any prominence compared to Philly when it comes to the Revolution. And that is what was happening.

Quote:
people who think Boston is more important wIf 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.
As one famous Bostonian said while defending the redcoats in yet another instance of Bostonians leading America to independence (the Boston Massacre).

"Facts are stubborn things"
-John Adams-
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Old 04-12-2013, 04:04 PM
 
Location: Crooklyn, New York
31,860 posts, read 34,362,591 times
Reputation: 14961
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua View Post
I never downplayed their importance, but now that you mention it, I would think that the very first shots fired at the beginning of any war are going to be quite a bit more important than battles that took place during the war. Which do you remember more the firing on Fort Sumter that commenced the Civil War or the Battle of Five Forks.
Valley Forge is not the equivalent of the Battle of Five Forks. I think that the Battles of Lexington and Concord and General Washington's retreat to Valley Forge are equally significant events in American history.
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