Independence Hall

. . [and] entertainingepisodes fill the book."-First ThingsThe surprising story of how an ordinary buildingbecame-finally-a chief symbol of the American Founding and its politicalideals.Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence wassigned 250 years ago, is today a beloved American shrine and an internationalsymbol of political liberty. Yet it was not always so. In Independence Hall:The History of an American Icon, one of our most accomplished and provocativehistorians unspools the surprising story of Independence Hall's origins, varieduses, and ultimate rise to national-landmark status.D. G. Hart, a Philadelphia native, has an eye for thefascinating and incongruous. He tells not only the stories surrounding thesigning of the Declaration of Independence and the framing of the Constitution.He also reveals:BenjaminFranklin's connection with Independence Hall's origins;how thebuilding became at one time America's first natural history museum (led by quirkyportraitist Charles Willson Peale), and at another time Philadelphia'smunicipal dog pound; whyAbraham Lincoln lay in state there following his assassination;the roleof Kevin Bacon's father, Edmund, in creating Independence National HistoricalPark; andwhy ittook so long for the nation to recognize Independence Hall's significance andmeaning.Written for the general reader, everyone interested in ournational story will find this quintessentially American history eye-opening andentertaining.