Think Gobally, Research Locally

Students in Philadelphia are lucky to live in one of the most historic cities in the United States. In fact, Philadelphia’s history is star-studded with firsts and people who changed the city, the state, the country, and even … the world.

If you are going to research someone or something connected to Philadelphia, check the internet to see if there are collections of primary sources in the area. You can start your research by going to PACSCL Finding Aids and doing a keyword search. This site hosts collection guides for 18 area archives, special collections and libraries who have primary source materials. There are lots of additional collections not described on the site, but this is a good place to start. Don’t rely on books or the internet–visit an archives and check out the real “stuff of history.” You won’t be sorry!

Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, 2012

Philadelphia is revolutionary! And in so many ways! Of course, the American Revolution was essentially started here, so that is a big topic, but there were a ton of other revolutionary events and people in this city. When it came to advancements and progressive movements in our past, Philadelphia was the place to be, especially in regards to medicine, science and education! And women, thanks to the Quakers, were treated with much more equality in the late 1700s and the 1800s here in Philly than in most other areas of the United States. As you can imagine, revolutionary ideas and people are not usually accepted universally, so history surrounding these people and events is almost always pretty interesting.

You can learn about just a few of those issues here:

Social and Ethical Revolutions (compiled by Justin Stuardi, Temple University)
Women in Medicine (compiled by Bria Walton, Temple University)