Week 4

While visiting Independence National Park, there were several questions that came to mind for me. The first major question I had during the extended portion of our tour was what the primary use of the upstairs portion of the building was. When we visited it, it was unclear what actually took place up there, and the information we were given almost contrasted the actual layout of the room. During the tour, we were shown replicas of Native American medals that were given to Indigenous leaders and delegates when they visited the then capital of the U.S. However, we were also told that the upstairs could have possibly been a living space for the delegates at the Constitutional Convention and other events, as they often would have sleepless nights full of debate. In touring the Long Gallery, there was not much in that space to suggest that it could have been used as a temporary living space, but the tour guides shared that this likely did occur here. Another thing that interested me was the relatively ornate set-up in the room that contained the medals. It appeared that its primary function was a large gathering space, which is why I found it interesting that this portion of the tour is not generally available to the public, as the rooms on the bottom floor were also gathering spaces and were the main attraction on the tour. Some takeaway questions I had from the tour focused on what time period the Native chiefs were invited to the capital, whether it was before or after the war, and I also wonder what alliances or agreements were made at this point.