The Religious Society of Free Quakers , originally called "The Religious Society of Friends, by some styled the Free Quakers," was established on February 20, 1781 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. More commonly known as Free Quakers , the Society was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers , who had been expelled for failure to adhere to the Peace Testimony during the American Revolutionary War . Many of its early members were prominent Quakers involved in the American Revolution before the society was established.
59-450: Notable Free Quakers at the early meetings included Samuel Wetherill , who served as clerk and preacher; Timothy Matlack and his brother White Matlack ; William Crispin ; Colonel Clement Biddle and his brother Owen Biddle ; Benjamin Say ; Christopher Marshall ; Joseph Warner; and Peter Thompson . Other notable Free Quakers include Lydia Darragh and Betsy Ross . Following the end of
118-554: A central building with belltower and steeple, attached to two smaller wings via arcaded hyphens . The highest point to the tip of the steeple spire is 168 feet 7 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (51.391 m) above the ground. The State House was built between 1732 and 1753, designed by Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton , and built by Woolley. Its construction was commissioned by the Pennsylvania colonial legislature which paid for construction as funds were available, so it
177-780: A clerk of the Pennsylvania State Senate . Matlack was known for his household garden, which included 28 types of peach tree. Matlack died in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania , on April 14, 1829, and was interred in the Free Quaker Burial Ground on South Fifth Street in Philadelphia . In 1905, his remains were removed and reinterred in Wetherill Cemetery opposite Valley Forge . Independence Hall Independence Hall
236-457: A company for its construction. Hamilton and his future son-in-law William Allen , who was later chief justice of the Province of Pennsylvania , were named trustees and were authorized to purchase the land for the proposed state house. By October 1730, they had purchased lots on Chestnut Street for the building. By 1732, Hamilton acquired the deed for Lot no. 2 from surveyor David Powell, who
295-571: A national holiday for U.S. Independence Day . There are 56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence, including John Hancock who signed first, writing his name in very large letters. The prominence of this signature led to the term "John Hancock" or "Hancock" becoming a colloquial term in the United States for one's signature. The Congress continued to meet there until December 12, 1776, when Congress evacuated Philadelphia. During
354-548: A new, more elaborate steeple designed by William Strickland , constructed in 1828. The north entrance was also rebuilt during this period. From 1802 to 1827, artist Charles Willson Peale housed his Philadelphia Museum of natural history specimens (including the skeleton of a mastodon ) and portraits of famous Americans, on the second floor of the Old State House and in the Assembly Room. In early 1816,
413-431: A private viewing was arranged for honored guests of the mourners. The next day, (Sunday, April 23, 1865) lines began forming at 5:00 am. Over 300,000 mourners viewed the body – some waiting 5 hours just to see him. The Lincoln Special left Philadelphia's Kensington Station for New York City the next morning (Monday, April 24, 1865) at 4:00 am. The symbolic use of the hall was illustrated on June 17, 1915, where
472-408: A tall clock ( grandfather clock ). The 40-foot-tall (12 m) limestone base was capped with a 14-foot (4.3 m) wooden case surrounding the clock's face, which was carved by cabinetmaker Samuel Harding . The clock was removed about 1830. The clock's dials were mounted at the east and west ends of the main building connected by rods to the clock movement in the middle of the building. A new clock
531-585: Is a historic civic building in Philadelphia , where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of the United States . The structure, which is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park , was designated a World Heritage Site in 1979. The construction of Independence Hall, initially called
590-611: Is closely related to the acquisition of the Liberty Bell . By mid-1753, the clock had been installed in the State House attic, but it was six years before Thomas Stretch received any pay for it. While the shell of the central portion of the building is original, the side wings, steeple and much of the interior were reconstructed much later. In 1781, the Pennsylvania Assembly had the wooden steeple removed from
649-563: Is present-day Market Street , and Hamilton favored Chestnut Street. Lawrence said nothing on the matter of its location. The disagreements escalated to the point where arbitration was needed. On August 8, 1733, Hamilton brought the matter before the Provincial Assembly . He explained that Kearsley did not approve of his plans for the state house's location and architecture and argued that the assembly had not agreed to these decisions. Three days later, Hamilton showed his plans for
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#1732765488650708-685: The American Revolutionary War . In 1780, his government passed an Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania militia crossed the Delaware River with Washington on December 27, 1776, and Colonel Matlack and his 5th Rifle Battalion were part of the expedition. Washington credited the Pennsylvania militia for their timely service in this campaign, and other officers commended
767-880: The Annapolis Convention to discuss adjustments to the Articles of Confederation that would improve commerce. They invited state representatives to convene in Philadelphia to discuss improvements to the federal government. After debate, the Congress of the Confederation endorsed the plan to revise the Articles of Confederation on February 21, 1787. Twelve states, Rhode Island being the exception, accepted this invitation and sent delegates to convene in June 1787 at Independence Hall. The resolution calling
826-769: The Articles of Confederation were approved in November 1777. The Second Continental Congress again returned to Independence Hall, for its final meetings, from July 2, 1778, to March 1, 1781. Under the Articles of Confederation , the Congress of the Confederation initially met in Independence Hall, from March 1, 1781, to June 21, 1783. However, as a result of the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 , Congress again moved from Philadelphia in June 1783 to Princeton, New Jersey, and eventually to other cities. In September 1786, commissioners from five states met in
885-880: The British occupation of Philadelphia, the Continental Congress met in Baltimore , Maryland (December 20, 1776 to February 27, 1777). The Congress returned to Philadelphia from March 4, 1777, to September 18, 1777. In September 1777, the British Army again arrived to occupy Philadelphia, once again forcing the Continental Congress to abandon the State House. It then met in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for one day (September 27, 1777) and in York, Pennsylvania, for nine months (September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778), where
944-631: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sold the State House to the City of Philadelphia , with a contract signed by the governor. The deed, however, was not transferred until more than two years later. Philadelphia has owned the State House and its associated buildings and grounds since that time. In 1898, the Mills wings were removed and replaced with replicas of the originals, but the Strickland steeple
1003-653: The First Continental Congress ), the site of Benjamin Franklin 's home, the reconstructed Graff House (where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence), City Tavern (center of Revolutionary War activities), restored period residences, and several early banks. The park also holds the Liberty Bell , Franklin's desk, the Syng inkstand , a portrait gallery , gardens, and libraries. A product of extensive documentary research and archaeology by
1062-563: The Jeffersonian era . Matlack was born in Haddonfield, New Jersey , on March 28, 1736, to Elizabeth Martha Burr Haines and Timothy Matlack. His grandparents were William Matlack and Mary Hancock, and Henry Burr and Elizabeth Hudson. His siblings were Sybil, Elizabeth, Titus, Seth, Josiah, and White Matlack ; his half-siblings were Reuben Haines and Mary Haines. His first cousin was a Quaker abolitionist John Woolman . In 1738,
1121-613: The League to Enforce Peace was formed here with former President William Howard Taft presiding. They proposed an international governing body under which participating nations would commit to "jointly...use...their economic and military forces against any one of their number making war against another" and "to formulate and codify rules of international law". The original steeple was demolished in 1781 due to structural problems. The wings and hyphens were demolished in 1812 and replaced by larger buildings designed by architect Robert Mills and
1180-654: The Pennsylvania State House , was completed in 1753. It served as the first capitol of both the colonial-era of the Province of Pennsylvania and, following American independence, the nation's first capital and the capital of Pennsylvania . Between 1775 and 1781, the Second Continental Congress , which appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Congress in 1775 and unanimously adopted
1239-666: The United States Post Office Department on July 26. The United States Declaration of Independence was approved there on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration was read aloud to the public in the area now known as Independence Square. This document unified the colonies in North America who declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. These historic events are celebrated annually with
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#17327654886501298-429: The "Lincoln Special", left Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , on Saturday, April 22, 1865, at 11:15 am and arrived at Philadelphia at Broad Street Station that afternoon at 4:30 pm. It was carried by hearse past a crowd of 85,000 people and was held in state in the Assembly Room in the east wing of Independence Hall. While there, it was escorted and guarded by a detail of 27 naval and military officers. That evening,
1357-778: The "headwaters of the Susquehanna River and the streams of the New Purchase ," the northwestern portion of the state purchased from the American Indians. They were also charged with exploring a route for a passageway to connect the West Branch with the Allegheny River . He lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania , from 1799 until 1808 when Lancaster was the capital of Pennsylvania, and he worked as
1416-645: The 1850s. The much larger Centennial Bell, created for the United States Centennial Exposition in 1876, hangs in the cupola of the 1828 steeple. The Liberty Bell, with its distinctive crack, was displayed on the ground floor of the hall from the 1850s until 1976, and is now on display across the street in the Liberty Bell Center . From May 10, 1775, to 1783, the Pennsylvania State House served as
1475-730: The American Revolutionary War, the number of Free Quakers began to dwindle as some members died and others were either accepted back into the Society of Friends or by other religious institutions. The final meeting of the Free Quakers was held in 1836. There is a small group of Free Quakers in Indiana who continue the tradition of the Five Principles (Inner Light, peace, simplicity, justice, stewardship) and
1534-662: The Convention specified its purpose as proposing amendments to the Articles, but the Convention decided to propose a rewritten Constitution . The Philadelphia Convention voted to keep deliberations secret, and to keep the Hall's windows shut throughout the hot summer. The result was the drafting of a new fundamental government design. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was completed, and took effect on March 4, 1789, when
1593-510: The Declaration of Independence the following year, in 1776, met at Independence Hall. On June 21, 1788, it was the site of the Philadelphia Convention , where the U.S. Constitution, the longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world, was drafted and ratified. In 1915, former-U.S. president William Howard Taft presided over a convention at Independence Hall, which including his formal announcement of
1652-677: The Five Freedoms (from creeds, from clergy, from public worship, from organized membership, from evangelization). Today, the descendants of the original Free Quakers hold an annual meeting of the Religious Society of Free Quakers at the Free Quaker Meetinghouse in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. This Quaker-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Timothy Matlack Timothy Matlack (March 28, 1736 – April 14, 1829)
1711-759: The King of England. In May 1775, he became clerk to the Second Continental Congress and, in June, he composed George Washington 's commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army of the United Colonies. Congress elevated him to Storekeeper of Military Supplies. He was also a member of Philadelphia's Committee of Inspection and Secretary of the Committee of Officers of the city's three militia battalions. In January 1776, Philadelphia added two more battalions to its militia brigade, and Matlack
1770-532: The assassination of Abraham Lincoln 's, Lincoln's body and the disinterred coffin of his son Willie, who had predeceased him in 1862, were taken by train from Washington, D.C. , to Springfield, Illinois , for burial. It would essentially retrace the 1,654-mile (2,662 km) route Lincoln had traveled as president-elect in 1861 with deletion of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and the addition of Chicago . The train left Washington, D.C. for Baltimore at 8:00 am on April 21, 1865. Lincoln's funeral train, known as
1829-494: The back of the U.S. $ 100 bill since 1928, and was depicted on the 1975-76 bicentennial Kennedy half dollar . The Assembly Room is pictured on the reverse of the U.S. two-dollar bill , from the original painting by John Trumbull entitled Declaration of Independence . Independence Hall served as the model for the Pennsylvania Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition , the Pennsylvania Building at
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1888-680: The combined site of the University of Virginia and Monticello ). Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are now protected in a secure zone with entry at security screening buildings. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks , as part of a national effort to safeguard historical monuments by the United States Department of Homeland Security , pedestrian traffic around Independence Square and part of Independence Mall
1947-510: The era by the National Park Service, includes a musical tall case clock made by Peter Stretch , c. 1740, one of the most prominent clockmakers in early America and father of Thomas Stretch . Two smaller buildings adjoin the wings of Independence Hall: Old City Hall to the east, and Congress Hall to the west. These three buildings are together on a city block known as Independence Square, along with Philosophical Hall ,
2006-434: The events of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, was largely filmed in Independence Hall. Because of its symbolic history, Independence Hall has been used in more recent times as a venue for speeches and protests in support of democratic and civil rights movements. On October 26, 1918, Tomáš Masaryk proclaimed the independence of Czechoslovakia on the steps of Independence Hall. National Freedom Day , which commemorates
2065-576: The family moved to Philadelphia , and he was apprenticed to the prosperous Quaker merchant John Reynell in 1749. At the end of his term, he married Ellen Yarnall, the daughter of Quaker minister Mordecai Yarnall, and their children were William, Mordecai, Sibyl, Catharine, and Martha. In 1760, Matlack opened a store called the Case Knife, and he and Owen Biddle purchased a steel furnace in Trenton, New Jersey , in 1762. His shop failed in 1765, and he
2124-545: The federal government, the restoration of Independence Hall and other buildings in the park set standards for other historic preservation and stimulated rejuvenation of old Philadelphia. The site, administered by the National Park Service , is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (joining only three other U.S. man-made monuments still in use, the others being the Statue of Liberty , Pueblo de Taos , and
2183-611: The fence in favor of movable bollards and chains, and also to remove at least some of the temporary barriers to pedestrians and visitors. On July 16, 1987, Congress met at Independence Hall in an unprecedented joint meeting outside of Washington, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Connecticut Compromise that determined the structure of Congress during the Constitutional Convention. The 1989 film A More Perfect Union , which portrays
2242-585: The force for its manliness and spirit. Following the British occupation of Philadelphia, Washington assigned Benedict Arnold to the post of Commandant of Philadelphia, and Matlack came to despise Arnold's presence. He led an investigation of Arnold's wrongdoing, which triggered a court martial, and the court sentenced Arnold to be reprimanded by the Commander-in-Chief. Washington said that his officer's behavior had been "reprehensible"; Arnold's treason
2301-524: The formation of the League to Enforce Peace , which led to the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1945. By the spring of 1729, there were proposals to build a state house in Philadelphia , and 2,000 pounds sterling were committed to the project. A committee including Thomas Lawrence , John Kearsley , and Andrew Hamilton was charged with selecting a site for the building's construction, acquiring plans for it, and contracting
2360-504: The main building. The steeple had rotted and weakened to a dangerous extent by 1773, but it was not until 1781 that the Assembly had it removed and had the brick tower covered with a hipped roof. A more elaborate steeple, designed by William Strickland , was added in 1828. The original wings and hyphens (connecting corridors) were demolished and replaced in 1812. In 1898, these were in turn demolished and replaced with reconstructions of
2419-711: The new Congress met for the first time in New York's Federal Hall . Article One, Section Eight, of the United States Constitution granted Congress the authority to create a federal district to serve as the national capital. Following the ratification of the Constitution, the Congress, while meeting in New York, passed the Residence Act of 1790, which established the District of Columbia as
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2478-483: The new federal capital. However, a representative from Pennsylvania, Robert Morris , did manage to convince Congress to return to Philadelphia while the new permanent capital was being built. As a result, the Residence Act also declared Philadelphia to be the temporary capital for a period of ten years. The Congress moved back into Philadelphia on December 6, 1790, and met at Congress Hall , adjacent to Independence Hall, until moving to Washington, D.C., in 1800. Following
2537-426: The original home of the American Philosophical Society . Since its construction in the mid-20th century, to the north has been Independence Mall, which includes the current home of the Liberty Bell. The lowest chamber of the original wooden steeple was the first home of the Liberty Bell . When that steeple was removed in the 1780s the bell was lowered into the highest chamber of the brick tower, where it remained until
2596-436: The original wings. The building was renovated numerous times in the 19th and 20th century. The current interior is a mid-20th-century reconstruction by the National Park Service with the public rooms restored to their 18th-century appearance. During the summer of 1973, a replica of the Thomas Stretch clock was restored to Independence Hall. The second-floor Governor's Council Chamber, furnished with important examples of
2655-449: The principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress , a body of representatives from each of the thirteen British North American colonies . On June 14, 1775, delegates of the Continental Congress nominated George Washington as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House. The Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin to be the first Postmaster General of what would later become
2714-402: The state house to the assembly, which accepted them. On August 14, the assembly sided with Hamilton, granting him full authority over the project, and the current site on the south side of Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets was chosen as its location. Ground was broken for construction soon after. Independence Hall has a red brick facade, designed in Georgian style . It consists of
2773-424: The struggles of African Americans for equality and justice, has been celebrated at Independence Hall since 1942. On Independence Day, July 4, 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave an address there. Annual demonstrations organized by the East Coast Homophile Organizations advocating for gay rights were held in front of Independence Hall each July 4 from 1965 to 1969. Independence Hall has been pictured on
2832-402: Was also one of the earliest opponents of slavery in America, and he felt that the Quakers were not moving quickly enough to abolish it. Along with Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris , Matlack helped raise a substantial sum of money to construct the Free Quaker Meeting House at the corner of Fifth and Arch Streets in Center City Philadelphia . In 1790, Matlack was commissioned to survey
2891-425: Was an American politician, military officer and businessman who was chosen in 1776 to inscribe the original United States Declaration of Independence on vellum . A brewer and beer bottler who emerged as a popular and powerful leader in the American Revolutionary War , Matlack served as Secretary of Pennsylvania during the conflict and a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1780. Matlack
2950-431: Was designed and installed by Isaiah Lukens in 1828. The Lukens clock ran consecutively for eight days, "with four copper dials on each side that measured eight feet in diameter and clockworks that ensured sufficient power to strike the four-thousand pound bell made by John Wilbank." The Lukens clock remained in Independence Hall until 1877. The acquisition of the original clock and bell by the Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly
3009-426: Was discovered five months later. Matlack was named a trustee of the University of the State of Pennsylvania in 1779. In 1780, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society and served as its secretary from 1781 to 1783. In 1781, Matlack was among the founders of The Religious Society of Free Quakers , Quakers who were "disowned" because of their support of the American war for independence. He
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#17327654886503068-468: Was disowned by the Quakers who complained that he had been "frequenting company in such a manner as to spend too much of his time from home". He was confined to debtors' prison in 1768 and 1769. By 1769, Matlack set up a new business selling bottled beer and opened his own brewery near Independence Hall in Philadelphia . In 1774, Matlack was hired by Charles Thomson , Secretary of the First Continental Congress , to engross (transcribe) an address to
3127-434: Was elected Colonel of the Fifth Battalion of Rifle Rangers. He was a delegate to the Conference of Committees, which met in June to plan a new constitution for Pennsylvania. Later that month, he engrossed the United States Declaration of Independence on parchment, and the 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress began signing it on August 2, 1776; it was unanimously adopted by all 56 delegates on July 4, 1776. Matlack
3186-423: Was finished piecemeal. It was initially inhabited by the colonial government of Pennsylvania as its State House, from 1732 to 1799. In 1752, when Isaac Norris was selecting a man to build the first clock for the State House he chose Thomas Stretch , the son of Peter Stretch his old friend and fellow council member, to do the job. In 1753, Stretch erected a giant clock at the building's west end that resembled
3245-415: Was instrumental in drafting the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 , which he ardently defended against critics, including Benjamin Rush , James Wilson , and John Dickinson . Newspapers were his primary medium and he signed a number of articles with the pseudonym Tiberius Gracchus. As Secretary to the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, Matlack was one of the most powerful men in the new state during
3304-413: Was known for his excellent penmanship, and his handwritten copy of the Declaration is on public display in the Rotunda of the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. Matlack became one of Pennsylvania 's most provocative and influential political figures. He was removed from office by his political enemies at the end of the Revolutionary War, but returned to power in
3363-449: Was left in place. In 1948, the building's interior was restored to its original appearance. Independence National Historical Park was established by the 80th U.S. Congress later that year to preserve historical sites associated with the American Revolution . Independence National Historical Park comprises a landscaped area of four city blocks, as well as outlying sites that include Independence Square, Carpenters' Hall (meeting place of
3422-411: Was paid for his work on the lot, but tensions began arising among the committee members. Kearsley and Hamilton disagreed on a number of issues concerning the state house. Kearsley, who designed Christ Church and St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia, had plans for the design, but so did Hamilton. The two men also disagreed on the building's site; Kearsley sought to have it constructed on High Street, which
3481-416: Was restricted by temporary bicycle barriers and park rangers. In 2006, the National Park Service proposed installing a seven-foot security fence around Independence Hall and bisecting Independence Square, a plan that met with opposition from Philadelphia city officials, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell , and Senator Arlen Specter . As of January 2007, the National Park Service plan was revised to eliminate
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