Preface:

Native American encounters with European settlers, slavery and abolitionism, the crafting of a democratic republic, industrialization, ongoing waves of immigration, ethnic and racial tensions, political corruption and reform, the impact of wars, urban disorder and renewal, suburbanization and population decline, and deindustrialization: the city of Philadelphia provides the means to study fruitfully all the great issues of American history. This TIP workshop was devoted to the study of the history of Philadelphia with a special emphasis on race and ethnicity. Members of the workshop learned of new interpretations of Philadelphia’s history, new methods of studying the past and the availability of primary source materials in local archives: all to facilitate the creation of these curriculum units.