Wednesday, August 8, 2012
President's House (Philadelphia)
"President’s House commemorative site is an open-air installation designed to give visitors a sense of the house where the first two presidents of the United States, George Washington and John Adams served their terms of office. The commemorative site pays homage to nine documented enslaved persons of African descent who were part of the Washington household and addresses the topic of slavery in the early history of the United States." From http://www.phila.gov/presidentshouse/
This is a fascinating display (a block from Independence Hall). There are screens constantly showing reenactments of the lives of the 9 slaves known to be a part of these households. The mounted information makes it clear that as influential as the two presidents were in securing freedom for Americans, this did not extend to their slaves. I thought the entire presentation well done, factual, balanced. It's a shame that not many people seemed to be taking the time to read and watch everything.
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