PA+History

=__PA History__=

The Native Americans
[|The Iroquois]
 * The Native Americans were the true first people to come to what is now known as Pennsylvania. The tribes that lived in PA were for example, the Erie, the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy ( The Mohawk, Onieda, Seneca, Onondaga, and Cayuga), the Lenni Lanape, the Munsee, the Shawnee, the Susquehannocks, and the Monongahela. These tribes lived all across the state and were distinguished by the language they spoke. Two of the most powerful groups of Native Americans in Pennsylvania were...[[image:LenniLenapeChief[1].jpg width="214" height="168" align="right"]]
 * [|The Lenape]**
 * For a time, the Lenni Lanape were the most powerful group in PA. They mainly lived by the areas around the Delaware River. They were matrilineal, meaning that the family's roots were traced through the women's family. Also, the eldest women in the tribe were highly respected and were considered very wise. Plus, the women in Lenape tribes had a lot of political power and chose the men who made up the tribal council. These people also believed that they were all brothers of all life, so they gave gifts to all people that visited and made them guests of honor. In return they expected mutual feelings and examples of respect from their visitors. William Penn followed these guidelines with mutual respect and acted like a brother towards the Lenape. The Lenape, however didn't always get the respect back from all visiting Europeans. A lot of the Europeans stole from them, and treated the women like they were worthless. This led to acts of violence from the Lenape, such as destroying the European settlements. These people were eventually run out of PA by the Iroquois Indians.
 * This was the most powerful group of Native Americans in Pennsylvania. Their empire crossed from upstate New York, south into Pennsylvania, and west toward the Great Lakes. They were quite impressive to the Europeans because of the amount of land they controlled; it was larger than that of the British Empire. This group of Indians was five tribes that were loosely connected but when faced with issues mainly of war and trade, they immediately joined together to form one force. This means that whenever someone wanted to trade with the Iroquois Confederacy, they couldn't make a deal or bargain with just one tribe, they had to trade with the five tribes as a whole. The same was with matters of war, if you wanted to fight with one tribe of the Iroquois, you had to fight with the whole Iroquois Nation. This allowed the Iroquois to control the trade happening between themselves and the Europeans. The Iroquois often traded their jewelry ,furs, and furniture (very popular items in England) with the Europeans in return for guns. This gave them power over other Indian tribes in Pennsylvania because they had the Europeans on their side and weapons more powerful than the other tribes possessed. These people defeated the powerful Lenni Lenape Indians and ran them out of Pennsylvania. However, these people were run out of PA by the Europeans and were forced to southern Ontario, Canada.

**The Europeans**
[|The Swedes] =**The Founder**=
 * These people were the first to come from Europe and settle in what is now known as Pennsylvania.
 * The Swedes were the first Europeans to establish a permanent settlement in what is now Pennsylvania. They first came to Pennsylvania during the exploration of 1637-1638. The time of real power for the Swedes was when Johan Printz was the governor of the capital settlement in Tinicum Island from 1643-1653. There is now a state park at the site named after Johan Prince.
 * The Dutch**
 * The Dutch also have a large influence on PA's history and culture. These people are still around today in Pennsylvania, mostly in and around [|Lancaster County], and are better known as [|The Pennsylvania Amish]. They came from Switzerland, Germany, eastern parts of France, or wherever the German language was spoken before 1800. These people are very orthodox in their faith in God. They take bible scripture very seriously and believe it should be applied in real life, especially the ones that tell them to separate themselves from items of the world. The "old order" Amish do not allow telephones or electricity in their homes. They also do not own cars, which is why you will see these people riding in horse and buggy carts. They believe this allows them to keep the modern world from affecting their peaceful lifestyle. The Amish have been farmers all throughout their history. They believe that a rural lifestyle is the best way to live close to God. The "old order" Amish do not allow tractors to be used on their farms, but they do use modern equipment that is pulled by horses or mules. People will often wonder how these people survive with the hard lifestyle they live. However, these people are actually thriving, and their population has tripled since 1960 in Lancaster County.
 * [[image:220px-William_Penn[1].png width="216" height="164" align="right"]]Pennsylvania was founded in 1682 by [|William Penn.] He called the Colony his "Holy Experiment" because he wanted to see if people of different religious beliefs could live and work together in harmony.
 * ===Childhood===
 * William Penn was born on October 14, 1644 in England to a very wealthy family, and was the eldest son of Sir Admiral William Penn.
 * He was always the odd child in the family, not acting as a child from a family with such high status should. In fact he was arrested and expelled from his school for not believing in the correct religion in England at that time, which was Anglican. His parents sent him to France and he finished his education there.
 * When Penn was 22, he joined the Friends Church or Quakers. He again was arrested for being part of this religion.
 * ===The Proprietor===
 * Penn received a grant owed from [|King Charles II] to his deceased father, Sir Admiral William Penn, that gave him ownership over the land. This was a sweet deal for both the King and Penn because it let the King get rid of the annoying English Quakers and it gave land to Penn so that he could fulfill his dream of a land with religious freedom.
 * The debt was £17,000, which Sir Admiral gave to King Charles I during the British Civil war so that he could raise an army and become King of England once again.
 * £17,000 back then would be worth tens of millions of dollars today!
 * When Penn first came to PA, he made peace with the Lenni Lenape people. He had been writing to them months before he first set foot in his land. Generally, Penn and the Lenape chiefs got along very well and held great respect for each other.
 * Also, when Penn came to the Pennsylvania Colony, he established a government, which became known as the Frame of Government, and later the First Frame of Government. This constitution gave great power to the Governor (Penn) and little power to his advisors, known as the General Assembly.
 * In 1684, Penn had to return to England over issues that threatened his ownership of Pennsylvania. It was supposed to be a short trip for Penn, but it ended up taking 15 years! When Penn finally returned to PA in 1699, the colony was fighting with the Lenape, which he promptly fixed and healed the relationship. Penn also rewrote PA's constitution, and called it, creatively, the Second Frame of Government. This constitution balanced the power between the Governor and the General Assembly.
 * In 1701, Penn was forced back to England due to financial issues. But before he left, he once again rewrote Pennsylvania's constitution, and called it the Charter of Privileges. This gave almost all the power to the General Assembly. The Charter of Privileges lasted until the American Revolution in 1776 and was used to help create The Constitution. In England, in 1712, Penn suffered a stroke, which rendered him crippled and unable to talk or eat through his own power. Penn died in 1718 in England. He only ended up living in his colony that he loved for about 3 years.
 * After Penn had his stroke in 1712, his second wife, [|Hannah Callowhill Penn], took over his business as the Governor of Pennsylvania. She did remarkably well in this position, especially for a woman in her generation.
 * Pennsylvania is named after Penn's father and the Latin phrase "sylvania" which means woods, after all the woods that were located in Pennsylvania at the time, so literally Pennsylvania means "Penn's Woods".

__Places To Visit__

 * Philadelphia[[image:Philadelphia-skyline[1].jpg width="320" height="239" align="right"]]**
 * Philadelphia is a historical U.S. city located in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania bordering the Delaware River. It is also the 6th largest city by population in the U.S.
 * At over 55 acres and covering 20 city blocks, Independence Hall Historic Park is located in the City of Philadelphia. Here in Independence Hall Historic Park there are many things to see, such as:
 * [|Independence Hall] is located between 5th and 6th Streets in Philadelphia. It is where the U.S. Constitution was created and then ratified. Construction to build Independence Hall began in 1732, but was not completed until 1753. This building is considered to be the birthplace of the United States. Here the Declaration of Independence was accepted and the Constitution (the oldest federal document in the world) was created. You can visit this historic building any day of the year. Tickets are given out for free starting any day at 8:30. However, during the busy season, tickets can be gone by 1:00. You can also reserve a ticket for $1.50 so that you will have a ticket and you don't have to wait in the walk-in line. Independence Hall is open from 9:00-5:00 daily. The Visitors Center is open from 8:30-5:00 daily.
 * Here at Independence Hall you can take a guided tour led by National Park Rangers. In this tour you will be able to see the courtroom, the Assembly room, George Washington's "rising sun" chair, and other famous rooms and objects.
 * [|The Liberty Bell] is an American icon that was brought to Pennsylvania in 1751 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Charter of Privileges. It weighs 2,080 pounds, and you can see it hanging from the original yoke that held it. The bell first rang on July 8, 1776 to declare the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence; the last time it rang was in 1846 when the large crack appeared. The Bell's exhibit is located across the street from Independence Hall and has free admission. It is open from 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. daily.
 * The [|Franklin Court Museum] is located on 316-322 Market St. and is the location of Benjamin Franklin's home and Postal Service office. Open Wednesday to Sunday, the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 * The [|New Hall Military Museum], located at Chestnut Street at 4th Street, is home to many artifacts and history on Army, Navy, Marines, and early American military history. Here you can find Revolutionary War uniforms, military medals, and old weapons such as muskets. The hours of operation differ and admission is free.
 * Also in Philadelphia there is the Independence Seaport Museum, located at Penn's Landing. There are many things you can do here, including the "It Sprang From the River" exhibit that features naval ideas, inventions, and discoveries that have became part of normal life, such as the popular toy, the Slinky®. You can also take a behind the scenes look at the 1892 Cruiser Olympia and the U.S. submarine USS Becuna, but you must be 12 or older to take the tour. Also there is a very interesting aqaurium in the Seaport . The museum is open from 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. daily. There are many different packages for the museum. [|Click here] to learn about costs for the Museum.
 * In Philly, you can also visit the [|Betsy Ross House]located at 239 Arch Street. Here you can visit the home of and learn about the maker of the nation's first flag. The house has some of the original colonial furniture and is presented also with reproductions to make it look historically correct. The personal tour of the house takes about 25 minutes as does the audio tour. The prices for the Betsy Ross house are $4 for adults, $3 for children, students,seniors, and military members. If you would like to take an audio tour, the cost is $5 for everyone.

Pittsburgh

 * [|Pittsburgh] is a large city located in western Pennsylvania and is known mainly for being the former steel capital of the world.
 * Pittsburgh is also the location where the Alleg[[image:400px-Pittsburgh_skyline_daytime[1].jpg width="240" height="180" align="right"]]heny and Monongahela Rivers combine to form the Ohio River.
 * Pittsburgh was originally founded by the French in the early 1700's. The land that was around what is now called Pittsburgh exchanged possesion many times before finally being owned by the British.
 * Pittsburgh was named Fort Pitt by General John Forbes after the British Prime Minister William Pitt.
 * In the early 19th century, large coal deposits were found around Pittsburgh. By being the location where two large rivers meet to form a third, Pittsburgh became an industrial center. From 1870-1970, Pittsburgh was the U.S. leader in steel, iron, and glass production and coal mining.
 * Because of pollution, Pittsburgh had to stop its production of goods. In 1970, the "Pittsburgh Renaissance" began. This slowly shifted Pttsburgh's economy towards education, medicine, technology, and tourism. This worked and Pittsburgh is now one of the nicest, contemporary cities in America.
 * When in Pittsburgh, you can visit the [|Fort Pitt Museum] located at 101 Commonwealth Pl., Point State Park, Pittsburgh. Here you can learn about Pittsburgh's early history. There are artifacts, interactive exhibits, and life-sized figures in the museum. There are also a few rooms re-created to look like historic rooms, such as a fur-trader's cabin. The cost to get into the museum is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors (over 61) $3.00 for students (with ID), and children ages 4-17, and free to members and children under 3.
 * Also you can visit the [|Allegheny Cemetery] located at 4734 Butler St. Here over 124,000 people are buried. Anyone can visit this cemetery for free.
 * There are also many other small locations and sites around Pittsburgh that show its rich history. [|Click Here] for more information on them.

**Gettysburg**

 * Gettysburg is located on the southern border of Pennsylvania and is home to one of the most famous battles ever on American soil.
 * [|The Battle of Gettysburg] happened in 1863 from June 1 - June[[image:beautiful-gettysburg[1].jpg width="320" height="213" align="right"]] 3 during the Civil War.
 * It was fought between The Union from the North, led at this time by General [|George G. Meade], and The Confederates from the South, led by General [|Robert E. Lee].
 * The Battle of Gettysburg is considered to be the most important battle in the Civil War
 * When you visit the town of Gettysburg, you can go to the [|Gettysburg Museum and Visitors Center] to learn about all that happened during the battle.
 * Here you can walk through the museum, which is full of the facts, tales, and history of the battle.
 * The cost to get into the visitors center is $10.50 for adults, $9.50 for seniors and active military, $6.50 for children 6-18, and children under 6 years old get in for free.
 * Groups with 16 or more adults cost $7.50, groups with 16 or more children is $6.00.
 * The museum has one of the largest collections of Civil War artifacts in the world. You can also visit the cyclorama depicting Pickett's Charge, and watch the film, "A New Birth of Freedom", narrated by the famous actor Morgan Freeman. You can access all these fantastic exhibits just for general admission.
 * **The Battlefield**
 * The battlefields surrounding Gettysburg are always free to wander and explore, but you can get a tour if you would like.
 * You can get a few types of tours:
 * You can ride on a tour bus that plays a recording of the story of The Battle of Gettysburg. For Adults: $28, Youths (6-12): $17,and Children (5 and under): Free
 * You can buy a CD that tells the story of The Gettysburg Battle and plays in your car while you're driving around the battlefield
 * You can get a private guided car tour where a licensed battlefield guide rides in your own car and tells you about the battle. For 1-6 visitors, this costs $55(per vehicle), and for 7-15 visitors, this costs $70(per vehicle)
 * Also in Gettysburg you can visit the home of [|Jennie Wade], the only civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. The house is believed to be haunted by the ghost of Jenny Wade herself. Her home is also now a museum and it costs: adults $7.50, children (ages 6-12) $3.50, and children 5 and under are free. The house is open from 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. from March 12-31. In the summer it's open from 9:00a.m. - 7:00p.m., and in spring and fall it's open from 9:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
 * Besides the Jennie Wade house there are many "haunted" Gettysburg sites and you can get tours of them. [|Click here] for a list of tours.

Williamsport[[image:williamsport[1].jpg align="right"]]

 * [|Williamsport] is a historic town located in north-central Pennslyvania on the west branch of the Susquehanna River.
 * Williamsport was planned in 1795. It became a borough in 1806 and finally a city in 1866. Michael Ross is belived to be the founder of Williamsport
 * During the 1800's, Williamsport was known as the lumber capital of the world. Every day, Williamsport lumber companies were producing 350 million board feet, which was higher than anywhere else in the country.
 * Williamsport also had the most millionaires per capita in the world, which is why the Williamsport Area High School's mascot is the Millionaire.
 * Here in Williamsport you can walk down West 4th Street, also known as Millionaires Row. This is the historic part of Williamsport where the millionaires lived in houses styled from Italian Villa to Gothic Revival.
 * Little League Baseball was also created in Williamsport. You can visit the original field, called Original Field, on Route 15.
 * The Peter J. McGovern Little League museum is located on 538 U.S. Highway 15. Here you can see exhibits on all of Little League's history and have some fun in the batting cages and running track, located inside the museum. The admission cost is $5 for adults (and children ages 14-17); $1.50 for children ages 5-13; and $3 for senior citizens (62 and over).
 * You can also come to the Little League World Series located right behind the Peter J. McGovern Museum in South WIlliamsport. Every August, hundreds of people come to watch kids from around the world play for he title of Little League World Series Champion. Admission to watch the games is free; you can either watch them in Volunteer Stadium or Lamade Stadium, or from the beautiful hillside next to Lamade Stadium.
 * Come watch some baseball and visit [|Historic Bowman Field]! This is the second oldest minor league ballpark in America. [|Click Here] for ticket prices.