How The West Was Born: Philadelphia’s Role in US History

Love it or hate it, Dan Brown's 2003 novel 'The Da Vinci Code' taught many of us that a certain amount of artistic licence could make history a lot more entertaining. A blend of easy-to-read short chapters, slightly unbelievable characters, word puzzles and historical whodunit made the book into a global success and spawned a 2006 film, which saw Tom Hanks as protagonist Robert Langdon, unravelling the darker mysteries of European mysteries.

Whether inspired by 'The Da Vinci Code' or not, the 2004 film 'National Treasure' used many of the same devices as Brown's novel, and with much the same effect. Only this time, rather than concentrating on European history, 'National Treasure' focused on the mysteries surrounding the history of the United States, in particular the secret societies of the Freemasons and the Knights Templar, and the various historical figures of US history who supposedly belonged to these orders.

No wonder, then, that much of the blockbuster film starring Nicolas Cage is located in Philadelphia, the birthplace of US history. Once the second largest city in the British Empire after London, and the first capital of the young United States during the 1790s, Philadelphia played a key role in US history right from the nation's inception, particularly in the 18th century when Benjamin Franklin (one of the historical figures whose membership in secret societies is played upon in 'National Treasure') took an interest in the city's prominence as a hub of social and political activity.

Some of the ideas that were developed in Philadelphia, and the actions that followed these ideas, were significant in bringing to life the American Revolution, and the subsequent American independence. This culminated in 1776 with the world-altering signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, which prompted the ringing of another of Philadelphia's historic landmarks, the Liberty Bell, in order to gather citizens for the Declarations public announcement.

Other important sites in US history include the home of ground-breaking American author Edgar Allen Poe, the house where Betsy Ross made the first American flag, the First and Second Banks of the United States, and the US's first hospital and first zoo.

With so many of 'America's firsts' in one place, and its status as the birthplace of the land of the free, it's little wonder there are so many extended stay hotels in Philadelphia - people are drawn by the city's historical significance, and stay for the freedom that is the cornerstone of the Philadelphian, and American, way of life.

Philadelphia assured its place in more recent history, and again reflected the city's interest in freedom and equality, when it hosted the American end of the Live Aid concert in 1985 at John F. Kennedy Stadium, and again for the Live 8 concert in 2005, this time at the Ben Franklin Parkway.