2019-11-07 00:57:28
Independence National Historical Park 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19106 215-965-2305 www.nps.gov/inde
Within Independence National Historical Park, several buildings all located on Independence Square have ties to the Underground Railroad. Important decisions about slavery and freedom, which charted the future of this nation, transpired at Independence Hall, Congress Hall and Old City Hall. The Square was the gathering place for abolition activities and the location for speeches made by abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
At Independence Hall, the Declaration of Independence was signed, promising freedom. The U.S. Constitution was drafted, which regulated slavery as part of a series of compromises enacted by the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The resulting constitution included the three-fifths clause, which declared that for purposes of representation in Congress, enslaved blacks would be counted as three-fifths of the number of white inhabitants of that state. Other clauses prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories and ended U.S. participation in the international slave trade in 1807.
These compromises refl ected Virginia Constitutional Convention delegate (and future U.S. President) James Madison’s observation that “…the States were divided into different interests not by their…size…but principally from their having or not having slaves.” While all northern states initially allowed slavery, most enacted gradual emancipation laws around the time of the American Revolution.
Also at Independence Hall, U.S. District Court trials were held concerning the 1851 Christiana riots and other fugitive cases.
In Congress Hall, the U.S. Congress passed the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act, which guaranteed the right of a slaveholder to recover an escaped slave and provided a mechanism by which that could be accomplished. Here, Congress also heard anti-slavery petitions. In Old City Hall, two mayors publicly demonstrated their support of the anti-slavery movement.
Independence Hall is a World Heritage site. The National Park Service provides tours and programs on site. Get information and begin your tour at the Independence Visitor Center located on Independence Mall on Market Street.
Next Site
Head east on S. Chestnut Street. Turn right onto S. 4th Street and right onto Walnut Street. Travel 0.7 mile and turn left onto S. 12th. Street. William Still’s Last Residence will be on the right. Be careful to find legal parking. The marker is in front of a private residence. Do not block traffic or parked cars. Because parking is extremely difficult to find, it is best to see this site as a drive-by or walk the 1 mile from Independence Hall. (To return to Independence Hall, turn left on Pine St., left on 11th St. and right on Market St.)
Previous Site
From Independence Hall turn left on S. 5th St. and right on Market St. east to I-95 S. Travel south to exit at US 322 W toward West Chester. At US Route 1 S turn left and travel to Kennett Square. To stop at the Brandywine Valley Visitors Center at Longwood, turn right onto Greenwood Road to 330 Greenwood Road. Here you can get information about Underground Railroad sites in southeastern Pennsylvania. To continue to Wilmington, return to US Route 1 N and travel north to PA 52 S. Turn right heading toward Delaware. Follow signs for the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway. Route 52 will become Delaware Avenue in Wilmington. Turn slight left onto W. 11th Street and right onto N. Market Street. The Delaware History Museum will be on your left.
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