No controversy or opinions in this column, because today it’s about Independence Day and a seldom-heard story of our nation’s first Congress and their trials and tribulations as they tried to find a home. And thus begins one of my educational columns.
Everyone knows the story about the Continental Congress writing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In July of 1776, Philly was our nation’s largest city with about 40,000 inhabitants, mostly God fearing Quakers. After signing their declaration of freedom from England, King George wasn’t happy and considered this as an act of war. Later that year, the King sent his soldiers and sailors to the colonies to deal with the treasonous rebels. The imminent arrival of the redcoats caused the declaration’s authors to flee the City of Brotherly Love.
The fleet of foot founding fathers gathered themselves in Baltimore, Maryland in December of 1776. For some reason, they passed on using the adequate Baltimore Courthouse as their capitol building and instead chose the tavern of Henry Fite. This new US Capitol was a three-story brick building at 10 Market Street (now known as West Baltimore Street). It was inside Fite’s Tavern that Congress learned of General Washington’s successful crossing of the Delaware River and his victory over the British at Trenton, New Jersey. Once the coast was clear, in March of 1777, the Congress returned to Philadelphia.
In September of 1777, once again the British forces threatened Philadelphia and this time Congress made a westerly to Lancaster, PA. They took up their business in the Lancaster County Court House. The only item on congressional agenda in Lancaster was “where could they move to next?” So, after less than a day in Lancaster Congress moved further west to York, PA, to give them some breathing room from the Brits. Apparently, the King’s army was comfortable staying in Philadelphia because Congress remained only 100 miles away in York for nine months unscathed. The York capital was the place where the Alliance with France was signed. In June of 1778, the British departed the area and the ‘all clear’ was given. Soon thereafter Congress returned to Philadelphia.
Congress remained in Philly for the remainder of the War. With the victory over Britain’s Cornwallis declared at Yorktown in 1781 all seemed well. But, once again in 1783, the elected officials of the United States fled Philadelphia for their lives. This time it wasn’t an invading army threatening their safety; it was their own former minute-men and Continental soldiers who were revolting. They were demanding their promised back pay in the most violent of ways.
