NRB Press release
June 12, 2003
Philadelphia National Archives Branch Joins Celebration
of Constitution Center Opening
The regional branch of the National Archives will present a public lecture at the National Constitution Center on July 5, 2003 at 2:00 PM. The program will examine Philadelphia during the early years of the Constitution and place "life on the street" in context with the Constitution. Jefferson Moak, Chief Archivist for the Mid Atlantic Branch, is the speaker.
Philadelphia provides an opportunity to explore Constitutional stipulations, protections and rights within the context of day-to-day life on the streets of Philadelphia. As the most important city in the British Empire after London, Philadelphia continued as an important place during the American Revolution and following. The City was not only the backdrop for the framing of the new American nation and its Capitol until 1800, but it was also a thriving commercial and population center and key to the new nation's economic viability. In shaping the new country, the Founding Fathers recognized the importance of this urban landscape, as well as other emerging urban centers, to the new nation and wrote a constitution that would grow and flourish the social, economic and political life in these areas.
The historical collections at the National Archives offer an important window to this aspect of the Constitution. As our nation's official record keeper, the National Archives preserves and makes accessible the records of the American democracy and our national heritage. The Mid Atlantic regional branch at the Robert Nix Federal Building (Chestnut Street, between 9th and 10th) has federal records dating from 1790 for the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Jefferson Moak will give attendees an opportunity to learn about these early records, while looking at what the Constitution meant in terms of everyday life on the streets of Philadelphia. The audience will explore whether the Constitution reflects a uniquely American experience.
Mr. Moak has a 29-year career working with Philadelphia history prior to joining the National Archives and Records Administration in 2000. His extensive research into the City's history has produced several guides to Philadelphia research, including Atlases of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Street Name Changes, Architectural Research in Philadelphia, and a recent work on the original land development patterns within parts of Philadelphia County from 1682 to 1750. Mr. Moak taught at Spring Garden College for several years and annually assists with a historic preservation class at the University of Pennsylvania that concentrates on researching Philadelphia's architectural heritage.
