Pennsylvania – The Cradle of the American Nation
The “Keystone State” Many believe that Pennsylvania has been called as such because of it being a keystone to political, social and economic development of the United States of America. A member of the thirteen original colonies who dared to rise against British forces and the second state to join the union, Pennsylvania is a state chockfull of history, heritage and legacy. Mane education institutions and history buffs trek to this state for its historical significance and to its museums and monuments that houses a big chunk of this great nations history. Pennsylvania is also one of the only four states in the USA to be named as a commonwealth.
In Pennsylvania, you will find the founding fathers of this great nation draw up the declaration of independence and the constitution, up to this day, those original documents are still preserved and being showcased, many other artifacts exist such as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and other significant relics of our independence. Every true blue American should do the trek to see these monumental artifacts and see how our founding fathers have heroically made America as the symbol of true freedom. The Historic quality of Pennsylvania is equaled by no other state in the whole fifty states in America.
Aside from major cities Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Dutch Region is another popular tourist destination. A misnomer, the Pennsylvania is actually inhabited by Germans and not Dutch. Original settlers have misheard the Deutsch, a German adjective, for Dutch. This region includes York, Harrisburg and Lancaster. Amish and Mennonites and other smaller groups dominate the area. While some of the older orders have fled the area, there are still some who still calls this region their home. Many of them still shun modern equipments and lifestyle and adhere to the old ways of taking day to day methods of business. This is also due to the reputation of Pennsylvania then for its religious freedom and leniency.
Pennsylvania was originally inhabited by Native Americans like the tribes of Eriez, Shawnee, Iroquois, Susquehanna and other smaller tribes. The middle 1600s showed the settling of the European nations with Sweden leading, followed by Netherlands and finally Great Britain. Later on, the monarchy granted a sizeable portion to William Penn which named the area Pennsylvania which means Penn’s Woods in honor of his father. During the American Revolution in 1776, Pennsylvania was a major force that made resistance to the British rule. On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to join the union only five days after the first, Delaware.
Unfortunately, in its history, Pennsylvania has been the site of the most horrendous ecological and natural disasters to ever hit America. Examples are the bursting of the South Fork Dam in 1889. Due to the heavy downpour of rains, the dam broke killing more than two thousand people in a town nearby. Another example is the exploding and burning of the seam of coal in Centralia, Pennsylvania. An entire community was forced to abandon their abodes for safety. This happened in 1961 and still the coal is burning up to this day, it is estimated that it will continue to burn for an additional hundred years. The most costly incident is the Mile Island Nuclear power devastation. Even if not as much of natural and personal damage was done, it took about a billion dollars to clean up everything. To note, the Gettysburg War was also in Pennsylvania, it was one of the wars that is a great turning point in American History, even with a large number of body count in the battlefield, it is still a defining moment for every American.
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