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104-471: The Philadelphia nativist riots took place on May 6—8 and July 6—7, 1844, in Philadelphia , and the adjacent suburbs of Kensington and Southwark . The riots were a result of rising anti-Catholic sentiment at the growing population of Irish Catholic immigrants. The government brought in over a thousand militia—they confronted the nativist mobs and killed or wounded hundreds of anti-Catholic rioters. In

208-529: A blockade of the mouth of Delaware Bay; British soldiers were moving south through New Jersey from New York. In December fear of invasion caused half the population to flee the city, including the Continental Congress, which moved to Baltimore . General George Washington pushed back the British advance at the battles of Princeton and Trenton , and the refugees and Congress returned. In September 1777,

312-754: A theocracy at the mouth of the Schuylkill River . The New Haven Colony had earlier struck a deal with the Lenape to buy much of the Province of New Jersey south of present-day Trenton . The Dutch and Swedes in the area burned the English colonists' buildings. A Swedish court under Swedish Governor Johan Björnsson Printz convicted Lamberton of "trespassing, conspiring with the Indians." The offshoot New Haven colony received no support. The Puritan Governor John Winthrop said it

416-407: A city where all people regardless of religion could worship freely and live together. Being a Quaker , Penn had experienced religious persecution. He also planned that the city's streets would be set up in a grid, with the idea that the city would be more like the rural towns of England than its crowded cities. The homes would be spread far apart and surrounded by gardens and orchards. The city granted

520-741: A decade long declared war against the Susquehannocks and the Dutch, who'd been trading them furs for tools and firearms for some time. Both groups had uneasy relations with the Delaware (Lenape) and the Iroquois . Penn's Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the Dutch , Swedish , or English settlers in present-day Delaware . They had no historical allegiance to Pennsylvania, so they almost immediately began petitioning for their own Assembly. Penn envisioned

624-526: A few days after that. He expanded the city west to the bank of the Schuylkill River , for a total of 1,200 acres (4.8 km ). Streets were laid out in a gridiron system. Except for the two widest streets, High (now Market) and Broad , the streets were named after prominent landowners who owned adjacent lots. The streets were renamed in 1684; the ones running east–west were named after local trees ( Vine , Sassafras , Mulberry , Cherry , Chestnut , Walnut , Locust, Spruce , Pine, Lombard, and Cedar ) and

728-469: A fire, fights with other fire companies often broke out. The lawlessness among fire companies virtually ended in 1853 and 1854 when the city took more control over their operations. During the 1840s and 50s violence was directed against immigrants by people who feared their competition for jobs and resented newcomers of different religions and ethnicity. Nativists often held mostly anti-Catholic , anti-Irish meetings. Violence against immigrants also occurred,

832-728: A large part in the city's development. To help protect the city from fire, Franklin founded the Union Fire Company . In the 1750s Franklin was named one of the city's post master generals and he established postal routes between Philadelphia, New York , Boston , and elsewhere. He helped raise money to build the American colonies' first hospital , which opened in 1752. That same year the College of Philadelphia , another project of Franklin's, received its charter of incorporation. Threatened by French and Spanish privateers , Franklin and others set up

936-426: A local judge to the polls and he rejected Irishmen who could not prove their citizenship. Fighting broke out across the inner city, and ended only when 500 armed state militia took control. Ten men were killed and 33 wounded; 93 buildings were damaged by arson. The episode reflected multiple forces at work, including rapid immigration from Europe, the success of local Irish politicians, the nationwide nativist movement,

1040-608: A non-congested city. Most people bought land along the Delaware River instead of spreading westward towards the Schuylkill. The lots they bought were subdivided and resold with smaller streets constructed between them. Before 1704, few settlers lived west of Fourth Street. Philadelphia grew from a few hundred European inhabitants in 1683 to over 2,500 in 1701. The population was mostly English, Welsh , Irish, Germans , Swedes, Finns , and Dutch. Before William Penn left Philadelphia for

1144-511: A sculpture was installed on the lawn at the south side of the square - "The Hand" created by Jim Fauntleroy in the 1960s for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ’s Poor People’s Campaign. The Washington Convention and Sports Authority took over the library building in 2011, renting it out for events. The building underwent significant renovations in 2018, to accommodate a new Apple Store and exhibit space for

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1248-583: A secretary for William Penn. He was the first to help establish Philadelphia as a place of culture and learning. Logan, who was the mayor of Philadelphia in the early 1720s, created one of the largest libraries in the colonies. He also helped guide other prominent Philadelphia residents, which included botanist John Bartram and Benjamin Franklin . Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia in October 1723 and would play

1352-612: A volunteer group for defense and built two batteries. When the French and Indian War began in 1754 as part of the Seven Years' War, Franklin recruited militias . During the war, the city attracted many refugees from the western frontier. When Pontiac's Rebellion occurred in 1763, refugees again fled into the city, including a group of Lenape hiding from other Native Americans, angry at their pacifism, and white frontiersmen. The Paxton Boys tried to follow them into Philadelphia for attacks, but

1456-404: Is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue NW , New York Avenue NW , K Street NW , and 8th Street NW. Mount Vernon Square is bounded on the east by 7th Street NW, on the west by 9th Street NW, on the north by Mount Vernon Place, and on the south by a two-block section of K Street NW that is slightly offset from the rest of K Street. In the center of

1560-564: The Cincinnati Times . Rumors of illegal voting, ballot-box stuffing, and naturalized voters preventing native-born citizens from voting sparked the events. Bloody Monday was a series of riots on August 6, 1855, in Louisville, Kentucky , an election day, when Protestant mobs attacked Irish and German Catholic neighborhoods. These riots grew out of the bitter rivalry between the Democrats and

1664-574: The 7th Street shopping district , most of which was in the neighborhood now known as Mount Vernon Square. Further south, just below today's Chinatown, the 7th Street corridor met the F Street corridor with its more upscale apparel and department stores. In 1999, the library became the headquarters for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The City Museum of Washington opened in the library in May 2003, but closed less than two years later. In 2008,

1768-626: The American Revolution was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses . After the Revolution the city was chosen to be the temporary capital of the United States. At the beginning of the 19th century, the federal and state governments left Philadelphia, but the city remained the cultural and financial center of the country. Philadelphia became one of the first U.S. industrial centers and

1872-814: The American Revolutionary War , Philadelphia was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses . After the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775 following the Battles of Lexington and Concord , the Second Continental Congress met in May at the Pennsylvania State House. There, they also met a year later to write and sign the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. Philadelphia

1976-641: The Democratic Party candidate, P.G.T. Beauregard . The Vigilance Committee disbanded with no further violence. History of Philadelphia The city of Philadelphia was founded and incorporated in 1682 by William Penn in the English Crown Province of Pennsylvania between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. Before then, the area was inhabited by the Lenape people . Philadelphia quickly grew into an important colonial city and during

2080-649: The Great Depression , when the area went into a steep decline. During the 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. riots , the area around the square suffered rioting, arson, and extensive vandalism. In the 1980s, 7th Street was shut down for several years during the construction of the Green Line (Washington Metro) - the Mount Vernon Square station opened in 1991. The boundaries of the neighborhood are; In 1977,

2184-552: The Lenape (Delaware) Indians . The Delaware River Valley was called the Zuyd , meaning "South" River, or Lënapei Sipu. Located north of what will eventually become the Center City and on the east bank of the Schuylkill was a Lenape settlement named Coaquannock, meaning "grove of pines." One of the largest Lenape settlements in the region, located in today's South Philadelphia near

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2288-544: The Philadelphia Main Line west of the city. Politically the city was dominated by the Republican Party , which had developed a strong political machine . The Republicans dominated the post-war elections, and corrupt officials made their way into the government and continued to control the city through voter fraud and intimidation. The Gas Trust was the hub of the city's political machine. The trust controlled

2392-565: The Supreme Court worked at City Hall. Robert Morris donated his home at 6th and Market Street as a residence for President Washington, known as the President's House . During the city's 10 years as federal capital, members of Congress were exempt from the abolition law, but the many slaveholders in the executive and judicial branches were not. President Washington, Vice-president Jefferson and others brought slaves as domestic servants, and evaded

2496-475: The War of Jenkins' Ear . The city was plagued by pickpockets and other petty criminals. Working in the city government had such a poor reputation that fines were imposed on citizens who refused to serve an office after being chosen. One man fled Philadelphia to avoid serving as mayor. In the first half of the 18th century, Philadelphia – like other American cities – was generally dirty, with garbage and animals littering

2600-516: The West Indies , inflicting financial harm on Philadelphia. The end of the war brought brief prosperity to all of British possessions , but a depression in the 1720s stunted Philadelphia's growth. The 1720s and 1730s saw immigration from mostly Germany and north Ireland to Philadelphia and the surrounding countryside. The region was developed for agriculture and Philadelphia exported grains, lumber products and flax seeds to Europe and elsewhere in

2704-417: The American colonies; this pulled the city out of the depression. In 1704, they achieved their goal when the three southernmost counties of Pennsylvania were permitted to split off and become the new semi-autonomous colony of Lower Delaware . New Castle, the most prominent, prosperous and influential settlement in the new colony, became the capital. During its brief period of ascendancy as an empire following

2808-699: The British invaded Philadelphia from the south. Washington intercepted them at the Battle of Brandywine but was driven back. Following Washington's defeat at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, thousands of Philadelphians fled north within Pennsylvania and east into New Jersey . Congress moved to Lancaster and then to York . Fearing the British Army would seize the Liberty Bell and other large Philadelphia bells, which could easily be recast into munitions,

2912-665: The Delaware. After the Boston Tea Party , a shipment of tea had arrived in December, on the ship the Polly . A committee told the captain to depart without unloading his cargo. A series of acts in 1774 further angered the colonies; activists called for a general congress and they agreed to meet in Philadelphia. The First Continental Congress was held in September in Carpenters' Hall . During

3016-639: The Dutch authority of New Netherland built a palisaded factorij located near the confluence of the Schuylkill River and the Delaware River, named Fort Beversreede . In 1637, Swedish, Dutch, and German stockholders formed the New Sweden Company to trade for furs and tobacco in North America. Under the command of Peter Minuit , the company's first expedition sailed from Sweden late in 1637 in two ships, Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Gri . Minuit had been

3120-710: The Fort Wilson Riot of October 4, men attacked James Wilson , a signer of the Declaration of Independence who was accused of being a Loyalist sympathizer. Soldiers broke up the riot, but five people died and 17 were injured. However, Philadelphia was selected as the temporary United States capital for ten years starting in 1790. The United States Congress , founded in March 1789, occupied the Philadelphia County Courthouse, which became known as Congress Hall , and

3224-644: The French entered the War on the side of the Continentals, the last British troops pulled out of Philadelphia on June 18, 1778, to help defend New York City and the Continentals arrived the same day and reclaimed Philadelphia, placing Major General Benedict Arnold in charge as the city's military commander. The city government returned a week later, and the Continental Congress returned in early July. The Liberty Bell, which had been hidden in an Allentown church since September 1777,

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3328-497: The Historical Society. Mount Vernon Square also refers to the neighborhood northeast of the square (though the official name for this neighborhood is Mount Vernon Triangle ), extending north to O Street and east to New Jersey Avenue. In the early 20th century, Victorian -style townhomes occupied the area, and the 7th Street shopping district was the city's vibrant commercial strip (along with more upscale F Street ), until

3432-590: The Liberty Bell was hastily transported north, where it was hidden beneath the floor boards of the Zion German Reformed Church in Northampton Town, in present-day Allentown, Pennsylvania . On September 23, 1777, as expected, British troops marched into a half-empty Philadelphia and were met by cheering Loyalist crowds. The British occupation of the colonial capital would last ten months. After

3536-615: The Nativist Know-Nothing Party . Multiple street fights raged, leaving twenty-two people dead, scores injured, and much property destroyed by fire. Five people were later indicted, but none were convicted, and the victims were not compensated. The riots occurred in Baltimore, Maryland between September and November of that presidential election year. The Know-Nothing Party gained traction in Baltimore as native-born residents feared

3640-647: The Pennsylvania statehouse in Philadelphia. Congress, lacking in funds, fled from Philadelphia to Princeton, New Jersey . With their departure and the departure of their families and staffs, Philadelphia was left all but deserted. As a result of the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, Congress fled Philadelphia, eventually settling in New York City, designated as the temporary capital. Besides the Constitutional Convention in May 1787, United States politics

3744-489: The Philadelphia region. In 1669, one of the founders of the New Sweden, Sven Gunnarsson , moved into the region and settled at a place called Wicaco, a former native settlement located on today's Society Hill and Queens Village in present-day South Philadelphia , beginning with a log blockhouse. The Swedish congregation on Tinicum Island moved to Wicaco in 1677, and repurposed the blockhouse as their church, five years before

3848-638: The Public School Reorganization Act freed the city's education from the political machine. Higher education changed as well. The University of Pennsylvania moved to West Philadelphia and reorganized to its modern form; and Temple University , Drexel University and the Free Library were founded. Mount Vernon Square Mount Vernon Square is a city square and neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The square

3952-492: The Schuylkill River. In 1648, New Sweden built a stockaded 30-by-20-foot blockhouse directly in front of the Dutch Fort Beversreede, called Fort Nya Korsholm or Fort New Korsholm . The Swedish building was said to be only twelve feet from the gate of the Dutch fort and was meant to intimidate the Dutch residents and intercept trade. As a result, the Dutch abandoned Fort Beversreede in 1651 and dismantled and relocated

4056-491: The Upper South worried that free people of color would encourage slave insurrections in the U.S. Historian Gary B. Nash emphasizes the role of the working class, and their distrust of their betters, in northern ports. He argues that working class artisans and skilled craftsmen made up a radical element in Philadelphia that took control of the city starting about 1770 and promoted a radical Democratic form of government during

4160-756: The area by Europeans was in 1609, when a Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson entered the Delaware River valley in search of the Northwest Passage . The Valley, including the future location of Philadelphia, became part of the New Netherland claim of the Dutch Republic . Around 1630s, to control the Great Minquas Path , a fur trade route to the Susquehannock which passed through Philadelphia region,

4264-584: The church floor boards during the British occupation of Philadelphia . The Liberty Bell remained hidden in Allentown from September 1777 until its return to Philadelphia in June 1778, following the British retreat from Philadelphia on June 18, 1778. After the Revolution's conclusion in 1783, Philadelphia was chosen to be the temporary capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800, and the city continued for some years to be

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4368-428: The city and soon outnumbered the Quakers, but they continued to be powerful economically and politically. Political tensions existed between and within the religious groups, which also had national connections. Riots in 1741 and 1742 took place over high bread prices and drunken sailors. In October 1742 and the "Bloody Election" riots, sailors attacked Quakers and pacifist Germans, whose peace politics were strained by

4472-408: The city contained a variety of industries, the largest being textiles . After the American Civil War Philadelphia's government was controlled by a Republican political machine and by the beginning of the 20th century Philadelphia was described as "corrupt and contented." Various reform efforts slowly changed city government with the most significant in 1950 where a new city charter strengthened

4576-519: The city in flight from the Haitian Revolution . They represented five percent of the city's total population. They likely carried the disease from the island where it was endemic, and it was rapidly transmitted by mosquito bites to other residents. Fear of contracting the disease caused 20,000 residents to flee the city by mid-September, and some neighboring towns prohibited their entry. Trade virtually stopped; Baltimore and New York quarantined people and goods from Philadelphia. People feared entering

4680-570: The city of brotherly love!" Several anti-slavery societies had been formed and free blacks, Quakers and other abolitionists operated safe houses associated with the Underground Railroad , but working class and ethnic whites opposed the abolitionist movement. The lawlessness and the difficulty in controlling it, along with residential development just north of Philadelphia, led to the Act of Consolidation in 1854 . The act passed on February 2, making Philadelphia's borders coterminous with Philadelphia County , and incorporating various subdistrict within

4784-562: The city or interacting with its residents. The fever finally abated at the end of October with the onset of colder weather and was declared at an end by mid-November. The death toll was 4,000 to 5,000, in a population of 50,000. Yellow fever outbreaks recurred in Philadelphia and other major ports through the nineteenth century, but none had as many fatalities as that of 1793. The 1798 epidemic in Philadelphia also prompted an exodus; an estimated 1,292 residents died. Pennsylvania, which had abolished slavery in 1780, required any slaves brought to

4888-423: The city to be freed after six months' residency. The state law was challenged by French planters from Saint-Domingue, who brought their enslaved peoples with them, but defended by the Pennsylvania Abolition Society . Through 1796, 500 slaves from Saint-Domingue gained freedom in the city. Because of the violence accompanying the revolution on the island, Philadelphians, many of whom had southern ties, and residents of

4992-447: The city used eminent domain to purchase several blocks southwest of Mount Vernon Square. Over the next few years, the homes and businesses on these blocks were razed. The old Washington Convention Center was constructed on the area block bounded by New York Avenue NW, 9th Street NW, H Street NW, and 11th Street NW. Construction on the center began in 1980, and it opened on December 10, 1982. At 800,000 square feet (74,000 m ), it

5096-490: The city's population stood at 817,000. The dense population areas were not only growing north and south along the Delaware River, but also moving westward across the Schuylkill River. A large portion of the growth came from immigrants, still mostly Irish and German. In 1870, twenty-seven percent of Philadelphia's population was born outside the United States. By the 1880s, immigration from Russia, Eastern Europe , and Italy started rivaling immigration from Western Europe. Many of

5200-454: The city, swelling the population of Philadelphia and its suburbs. In Philadelphia, as the rich moved west of 7th Street, the poor moved into the upper class' former homes, which were converted into tenements and boarding houses. Many small row houses crowded alleyways and small streets, and these areas were filthy, filled with garbage and the smell of manure from animal pens. During the 1840s and 1850s, hundreds died each year in Philadelphia and

5304-403: The city. Revitalization and gentrification of certain neighborhoods started bringing people back to the city. Promotions and incentives in the 1990s and the early 21st century have improved the city's image and created a condominium boom in Center City and the surrounding areas that has slowed the population decline. Before Philadelphia was colonized by Europeans, the area was inhabited by

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5408-408: The claim as written would create a bloody conflict with Maryland (dubbed Cresap's War ) over the land grant already owned by Lord Baltimore. Penn put together a colonial expedition and fleet, which set out for America in the middle of the following summer. Penn, sailing in the vanguard, first set foot on American soil at the colony at New Castle, Delaware . An orderly change of government ensued, as

5512-481: The colonists had to recognize the authority of New Netherland , the Dutch terms were tolerant. The Swedish and Finnish settlers continued to enjoy a much local autonomy, having their own militia, religion, court, and lands. This official status lasted until the English capture of New Netherland in October 1664, and continued unofficially until the area was included in William Penn's charter for Pennsylvania in 1682. The Swedish immigration and expansion continued in

5616-407: The confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, was Passyunk , meaning "in the valley." Other settlements including the village of Nitapèkunk, "place that is easy to get to," located in today's Fairmount Park area, and Shackamaxon , "place where the chief was crowned", both were located on the west bank of Delaware River, upstream from today's Northern Liberties . The first exploration of

5720-443: The country's cultural and financial center. Its large free black community aided fugitive slaves and founded the first independent black denomination in the nation, the African Methodist Episcopal Church . The port city was vulnerable to capture by the British by sea. Officials recruited soldiers and studied defenses for invasion from Delaware Bay , but built no forts or other installations. In March 1776 two British frigates began

5824-440: The country's largest city, with 67,787 people living in Philadelphia and its contiguous suburbs. Philadelphia's maritime trade was interrupted by the Embargo Act of 1807 and then the War of 1812 . After the war, Philadelphia's shipping industry never returned to its pre-embargo status, and New York City succeeded it as the busiest port and largest city. In the mid and late 1850s, immigrants from Ireland and Germany streamed into

5928-454: The county. Once the American Civil War began in 1861, Philadelphia's pro-southern leanings were reduced. Popular hostility shifted against southern sympathizers. Mobs threatened a secessionist newspaper and the homes of suspected sympathizers, and were only turned away by the police and Mayor Alexander Henry. Philadelphia supported the war with soldiers, ammunition, and war ships and its manufacturers produced many army uniforms. Philadelphia

6032-436: The end of the day and at least 15 were injured. The New Orleans Know-Nothing group began as a local movement in 1858 to reduce what residents considered a high rate of crime and violence in the city, primarily among Irish and German immigrants, who were among the poorest classes. A secret Vigilance Committee was formed to monitor their activities, and in particular to prevent disruption of upcoming municipal elections. On

6136-516: The first purchasers land along the Delaware River for their homes. It had access to the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, and became an important port in the Thirteen Colonies. He named the city Philadelphia ( philos , "love" or "friendship", and adelphos , "brother"); it was to have a commercial center for a market, state house, and other key buildings. The grid plan was adapted from a grid plan originally designed by cartographer Richard Newcourt for London . Penn sent three commissioners to supervise

6240-507: The five months leading to the riots, nativist groups had been spreading a false rumor that Catholics were trying to remove the Bible from public schools. A nativist rally in Kensington erupted in violence on May 6 and started a deadly riot that would result in the destruction of two Catholic churches and numerous other buildings. Riots erupted again in July after it was discovered that St. Philip Neri's Catholic Church in Southwark had armed itself for protection. Fierce fighting broke out between

6344-498: The founding of the city of Philadelphia. Sven Gunnarsson died in 1678 and was one of the first buried at the church. The church and the cemetery eventually became the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church of Philadelphia, the oldest church in Pennsylvania. In 1681, King Charles II gave Penn a large piece of his newly acquired American land holdings to repay a debt the king owed to Admiral Sir William Penn , Penn's father. This land included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware , though

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6448-405: The gas company supplying lighting to the city. With the board under complete control by Republicans in 1865, they awarded contracts and perks for themselves and their cronies. Some government reform did occur during this time. The police department was reorganized; and volunteer fire companies were eliminated and were replaced by a paid fire department . A compulsory school act passed in 1895, and

6552-472: The governor of the New Netherland from 1626 to 1631. Resenting his dismissal by the Dutch West India Company , he brought to the new project the knowledge that the Dutch colony had temporarily abandoned its efforts in the Delaware Valley to focus on the Hudson River valley to the north. The ships reached Delaware Bay in March 1638, and the settlers began to build a fort at the site of present-day Wilmington, Delaware . They named it Fort Christina , in honor of

6656-416: The headquarters of law firm Arnold & Porter (opened 2016), and the headquarters for the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association (opened 2014). On the south side is the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel (opened 1986), and the Techworld plaza office development (opened 1989), which is undergoing redevelopment and re-branding as "Anthem Row." Across from

6760-406: The immediate southwest of present-day Philadelphia, where he built an outpost called Fort New Gothenburg and his own manor house which he called the Printzhof . In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannock in their successful conflict with Maryland colonists led by General Harrison II. With the alliance with Susquehannock, the Swedes further strengthened their claims for land at the mouth of

6864-415: The immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe were Jewish. In 1881, there were around 5,000 Jews in the city , and by 1905 the number had increased to 100,000. Philadelphia's Italian population grew from around 300 in 1870 to around 18,000 in 1900, with the majority settling in South Philadelphia . Along with foreign immigration, domestic migration by African Americans from the South led to Philadelphia having

6968-522: The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and New York Avenue. The old Northern Liberty Market stood along Seventh Street until 1872, when it was demolished by Governor Alexander Shepherd in a night raid with two to 300 men. The roadways were removed in 1882 at the request of residents who complained that "in its former condition the constant passage of vehicles of all descriptions through the park made it unpleasant and oftentimes dangerous for those frequenting it." The Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.

7072-423: The largest black population of a Northern U.S. city in this period. By 1876, nearly 25,000 African Americans living in Philadelphia, and by 1890 the population was near 40,000. While immigrants moved into the city, Philadelphia's rich left for newer housing in the suburbs, with commuting made easy by newly constructed railroads. During the 1880s much of Philadelphia's upper class moved into the growing suburbs along

7176-456: The last time on October 25, 1701, he issued the Charter of 1701. The charter established Philadelphia as a city and gave the mayor , aldermen , and councilmen the authority to issue laws and ordinances and regulate markets and fairs. The first known Jewish resident of Philadelphia was Jonas Aaron, a German who moved to the city in 1703. He is mentioned in an article entitled "A Philadelphia Business Directory of 1703," by Charles H. Browning. It

7280-432: The law by regularly shifting their slaves out of the city before the 6-month deadline. Two of Washington's slaves escaped from the President's House , and he gradually replaced his slaves with German immigrants who were indentured servants . The Pennsylvania state government left Philadelphia in 1799 and the United States government left in 1800. By this time, the city had become one of the United States' busiest ports and

7384-437: The local election. The Plug Uglies linked up with allied members of the Rip Raps and the Chunkers and moved to Mount Vernon Square to harass anti-Know Nothing voters. They then returned to the square armed with pistols, clubs, bricks, and other weapons and charged into the crowd of voters. A brutal fight broke out which the police were unable to stop and by noon, President Buchanan had called out two companies of Marines to stop

7488-453: The nativists and the soldiers sent to protect the church, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Two of the 13 Catholic churches were burned. The Catholic Church sued the city and won some money for repairs. Civic leaders deplored the nativist attacks. Nationally, the riots helped fuel criticism of the nativist movement, despite denials of responsibility from nativist groups. The riots exposed deficiencies in law enforcement in Philadelphia and

7592-634: The nearby Fort Nassau to the Christina River , downstream from the Swedes' Fort Christina . The Dutch consolidated their forces at the rebuilt fort, renamed Fort Casimir . The Dutch never recognized the legitimacy of the Swedish claim and, in the late summer of 1655, Director-General Peter Stuyvesant of New Amsterdam mustered a military expedition to the Delaware Valley to subdue the rogue colony. Although

7696-698: The night of June 2, 1858, armed men under the command of Capt. J.K. Duncan, an officer in the United States Army, marched to Jackson Square and occupied the court rooms in The Cabildo . For the next five days, a standoff existed between the Vigilance Committee and members of the Native American Party . On June 7, the elections were held and the Native American candidate, Gerard Stith, defeated

7800-524: The northwest corner of the square is the Washington Marriott Marquis , the largest hotel in the city, which opened in 2014. The lot at the southwest corner of the square was the former site of the old Washington Convention Center , now the CityCenterDC development, which opened in 2015. There are two historic buildings northwest of the square, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and

7904-494: The north–south streets were numbered. Within the area, four squares (now named Rittenhouse , Logan , Washington and Franklin ) were set aside as parks open for everyone. Penn designed a central square at the intersection of Broad and what is now Market Street to be surrounded by public buildings. Some of the first settlers lived in caves dug out of the river bank, but the city grew with construction of homes, churches, and wharves. The new landowners did not share Penn's vision of

8008-633: The policies of Democratic Mayor John How , and the bitterly fought contest for House of Representatives between Whig Luther Martin Kennett and Democrat Thomas Hart Benton . The Election Day Riots of 1855 occurred in Cincinnati between April 2–7, 1855. The election was between James J. Faran , the Democratic contender and editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer , and James D. Taylor, rabid nativist editor of

8112-592: The position of mayor and weakened the Philadelphia City Council . At the same time Philadelphia moved its supports from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party , which has since created a strong Democratic organization. The city began a population decline in the 1950s as mostly white and middle-class families left for the suburbs. Many of Philadelphia's houses were in poor condition and lacked proper facilities, and gang and mafia warfare plagued

8216-692: The rapidly growing Irish and German immigrant population. Local street gangs became divided on political grounds, with the Know-Nothing affiliated gangs clashing with gangs affiliated with the Democratic Party . The partisans were involved in widespread violence at the polls and across Baltimore during municipal and national elections. Know-Nothing associated gang, the Plug Uglies, had travelled to Washington. D.C.. from Baltimore on June 1, 1857, in an attempt to prevent German and Irish immigrants from voting in

8320-585: The revolution. They held power for a while, and used their control of the local militia to disseminate their ideology to the working class and to stay in power until the businessmen staged a conservative counterrevolution. Philadelphia suffered serious inflation, causing problems especially for the poor, who were unable to buy needed goods. This led to unrest in 1779, with people blaming the upper class and Loyalists. A riot in January by sailors striking for higher wages ended up with their attacking and dismantling ships. In

8424-651: The riot. By the time the Marines arrived at Mount Vernon Square, the Know-Nothings had set up a barricade and were armed with a cannon they had taken from the Navy Yard. Archibald Henderson , Commandant of the Marine Corps, marched up to the cannon and placed his body in front of it so it could not be aimed at his men. This allowed the Marines to advance on their position, but a fire fight soon broke out. Eight people were killed by

8528-497: The rival and territorial Conestoga peoples to the west for a number of decades as the English Quaker and German Anabaptist, Lutheran and Moravian settlers attracted to the religiously tolerant colony worked their way northwest up the Schuylkill and due west south of the hill country into the breadbasket lands along the lower Susquehanna River . Lord Baltimore and the Province of Maryland had circa 1652–53 finished waging

8632-490: The river and founded Philadelphia with a core group of accompanying Quakers and others seeking religious freedom on lands he purchased from the local chieftains of the Lenape or Delaware nation . This began a long period of peaceful co-operation between the colony and the Delaware, in contrast to the frictions between the tribe and the Swedish and Dutch colonists. However, the new colonists would not enjoy such easy relations with

8736-415: The settlement and to set aside 10,000 acres (40 km ) for the city. The commissioners bought land from Swedes at the settlement of Wicaco , and from there began to lay out the city toward the north. The area went about a mile along the Delaware River between modern South and Vine Streets . Penn's ship anchored off the coast of New Castle, Delaware , on October 27, 1682, and he arrived in Philadelphia

8840-487: The square is the Carnegie Library of Washington D.C. , finished in 1903, as a gift of industrialist Andrew Carnegie . The white marble Beaux-Arts building was originally the central library for Washington, D.C. The building now houses the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. , and an Apple Store . The square was in the original L'Enfant Plan for the city but in the early 1800s was divided into four triangles by

8944-641: The streets. The roads were unpaved and in rainy seasons impassable. Early attempts to improve quality of life were ineffective as laws were poorly enforced. By the 1750s, Philadelphia was turning into a major city. Christ Church and the Pennsylvania State House, better known as Independence Hall , were built. Streets were paved and illuminated with oil lamps. Philadelphia's first newspaper , Andrew Bradford 's American Weekly Mercury , began publishing on December 22, 1719. The city also developed culturally and scientifically. Schools, libraries and theaters were founded. James Logan arrived in Philadelphia in 1701 as

9048-601: The surrounding districts from diseases such as malaria , smallpox , tuberculosis , and cholera , related to poor sanitation; the poor suffered the most fatalities. Small rowhouses and tenement housing were constructed south of South Street. Violence was a serious problem; gangs like the Moyamensing Killers and the Blood Tubs controlled various neighborhoods. During the 1840s and early 1850s when volunteer fire companies, some of which were infiltrated by gangs, responded to

9152-457: The surrounding districts, influencing various reforms in local police departments and the eventual consolidation of the city in 1854 . In August 1854 a major election riot exploded in St. Louis, Missouri , a city of 95,000 population. It was caused by the escalation of tensions between Irish Catholic Democrats and the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing movement. Violence came when Know-Nothing activists brought

9256-527: The twelve-year-old Queen Christina of Sweden. It was the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. Part of this colony eventually included land on the west side of the Delaware River from just below the Schuylkill River . The first English settlement occurred about 1642, when 50 Puritan families from the New Haven Colony in Connecticut , led by George Lamberton, tried to establish

9360-582: The victory by Gustav the Great in the Battle of Breitenfeld Swedish settlers arrived in the area in the early 17th century to found a nearby colony, New Sweden in what is today southern New Jersey . With the arrival of more numerous English colonists and development of the port on the Delaware, Philadelphia quickly grew into an important colonial city. Philadelphia's pledge of religious tolerance attracted many other religions beside Quakers. Mennonites , Pietists , Anglicans , Catholics , and Jews moved to

9464-427: The worst being the nativist riots in 1844 . Violence against African Americans was also common during the 1830s, 40s, and 50s. Immigrants competed with them for jobs, and deadly race riots resulted in the burning of African-American homes and churches. In 1841, Joseph Sturge commented "...there is probably no city in the known world where dislike, amounting to the hatred of the coloured population, prevails more than in

9568-524: Was also a major receiving place of the wounded, with more than 157,000 soldiers and sailors treated within the city. Philadelphia began preparing for invasion in 1863, but the Confederate Army was repelled by Union forces at Gettysburg . In the years following the American Civil War, Philadelphia's population continued to grow. The population grew from 565,529 in 1860 to 674,022 in 1870. By 1876,

9672-608: Was built in 1903. It was the central library for the city until 1972, when the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library was completed. The library sat abandoned for a decade until it was renovated as a library for the University of the District of Columbia . In the late 19th and early 20th century, the city's furniture stores and more economical department stores such as Goldberg's and Kaufman's were located along 7th Street NW in

9776-490: Was completed in 2003, and renamed the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2007. Many small businesses existed around Mount Vernon Square before the construction of the convention centers. One of the last businesses to exist on the west side of the square was a Chinese restaurant named Nan King (which was one of the first restaurants in the city to serve dim sum ), which was open until 1979. By 2004, Alperstein's Furniture

9880-403: Was defenseless, and the city prepared for what was seen as an inevitable British Army attack. Because bells could easily be recast into munitions, one of those preparations was hastily removing the Liberty Bell and other Philadelphia bells and sending them by heavily guarded wagon train to the Zion German Reformed Church in Northampton Town in present-day Allentown , where it was hidden under

9984-399: Was dissolved owing to summer "sickness and mortality." The disaster contributed to New Haven's losing control of its area to the larger Connecticut Colony . Johan Björnsson Printz was appointed to be the first royal governor of New Sweden , arriving in the colony on February 15, 1643. Under his ten-year rule, the administrative center of New Sweden was moved north to Tinicum Island , to

10088-428: Was important to the war effort; Robert Morris said, You will consider Philadelphia, from its centrical situation, the extent of its commerce, the number of its artificers, manufactures and other circumstances, to be to the United States what the heart is to the human body in circulating the blood. After Washington 's defeat at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia

10192-634: Was no longer centered in Philadelphia. Due to political compromise, Congress chose a permanent capital to be built along the Potomac River . After 1787, the city's economy grew rapidly in the postwar years. Serious yellow fever outbreaks in the 1790s interrupted development. Benjamin Rush identified an outbreak in August 1793 as a yellow fever epidemic , the first in 30 years, which lasted four months. Two thousand refugees from Saint-Domingue had recently arrived in

10296-482: Was normal in an age used to the privileges and prerogatives of aristocracy and which antedated nationalism : the colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new Proprietor . The first Pennsylvania General Assembly was soon held in the colony. By 1682, the area of modern Philadelphia was inhabited by about fifty Europeans, mostly subsistence farmers living in and around the Wicaco settlement. Penn later journeyed up

10400-672: Was prevented by the city's militia and Franklin, who convinced them to leave. In the 1760s, the British Parliament 's passage of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts , combined with other frustrations, increased political tension and anger against Britain in the colonies. Philadelphia residents joined boycotts of British goods. After the Tea Act in 1773, there were threats against anyone who would store tea and any ships that brought tea up

10504-533: Was published in The American Historical Register, in April, 1895. Philadelphia became an important trading center and major port. Initially the city's main source of trade was with the West Indies , which had established sugar cane plantations as part of the Triangle Trade associated with Africa and Europe . During Queen Anne's War in 1702 and 1713 with the French, trade was cut off to

10608-513: Was returned to Philadelphia following the British retreat from Philadelphia on June 18, 1778. At the end of the American Revolutionary War , many Patriot soldiers had not been paid their wages for their service during the war. Congress refused the soldiers' request for payment of their salaries. In what is known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 , hundreds of Patriot veterans of the war who were owed back pay marched with their weapons on

10712-493: Was the fourth largest facility in the United States at the time. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, numerous larger and more modern facilities were constructed around the country, and by 1997 the Washington Convention Center had become the 30th largest facility. In 1998, construction began on a new larger convention center, occupying several blocks directly north of Mount Vernon Square. The new convention center

10816-466: Was the only store on 7th Street to survive through the construction of the Metro station and the new convention center. It closed in 2014, with a restaurant moving into its building. On the west side of the square is the 901 New York Avenue office building (headquarters of law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner ), completed in 2003. On the east are two large office buildings, including

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