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How mismanagement of gout could have impacted the American Revolution
Sketch of two colonial-era men at table, one with an injured foot.

 Coloured etching by T.L. Busby, 1826.

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How mismanagement of gout could have impacted the American Revolution

Penn biology professor Philip A. Rea has written a provocative piece examining how gout sidelined two influential 18th-century British leaders and why England eschewed an effective gout treatment.

2 min. read

Reflecting on the 250th—and what’s still ahead
Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

Image: Franziska Spiecker/picture-alliance/dpa via AP Images

Reflecting on the 250th—and what’s still ahead

Activities for the semiquincentennial will continue into the fall, with art exhibits, courses, nationally renowned speakers, workshops, and musical programming.

3 min. read

The journey of Franklin’s fire bell
The historic Academy Bell is on display in the Van Pelt Library.

The historic Academy Bell on display in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

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The journey of Franklin’s fire bell

A sister of Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell, Penn’s Academy Bell has been secreted from the city during the Revolutionary War, signaled the start of class and the outbreak of fires, hung in a church tower, and stored in basements around Penn’s campus before going on display.

3 min. read

Mapping Penn and Franklin in Revolutionary Philadelphia
map of historic penn

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Mapping Penn and Franklin in Revolutionary Philadelphia

From the Market Street Wharf on the Delaware River, Penn’s founder Benjamin Franklin began making his mark on the city of Philadelphia in 1723, establishing his home and print shop at 3rd and Market Street. At 4th St. and Arch, he founded The College of Philadelphia (now Penn), and signed the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania Assembly House at 4th and Chestnut.

Video

The Declaration of Independence: Then and now
Copy of the Declaration of Independence on a printing press.

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The Declaration of Independence: Then and now

Penn Today spoke with historian Daniel Richter, philosopher Jennifer Morton, and democratic governance expert Claire Finkelstein about the Declaration’s historical context, political ideas, and evolving legacy.

4 min. read

The history of Pennsylvania Hospital’s Pine Building
The facade of the Pennsylvania Hospital.

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The history of Pennsylvania Hospital’s Pine Building

The original structure of the nation’s first chartered hospital—home to early mental health and maternity care—is a living symbol of innovation.

From Penn Medicine News

3 min. read

France, Haiti, and Philadelphia in a Revolutionary Age
A map of Revolutionary Paris

Image: Courtesy of the Kislak Center

France, Haiti, and Philadelphia in a Revolutionary Age

American independence from Great Britain in 1776 set the stage for the first in a series of 18th century state constitutions; the United States Constitution was drafted in 1787, France followed in 1791, and Haiti’s constitution was established in 1801 following ten years of rebellion by enslaved Africans under French colonial rule.

Video

A historic ode to the Fourth of July—in the Penn Libraries
A two-page spread of an aged printed broadside poem titled “An Ode for the 4th of July 1788,” with the left page featuring decorative vine-like borders framing the poem’s text and the right page mostly blank with faint, reversed text showing through the paper.

A broadside of “An Ode for the Fourth of July, 1788,” written by Francis Hopkinson. The copy, which previously belonged to Benjamin Franklin, is part of the Francis Hopkinson Collections at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. 

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Libraries)

A historic ode to the Fourth of July—in the Penn Libraries

“An Ode for the Fourth of July, 1788” is a songsheet by 1757 graduate and Declaration of Independence signer Francis Hopkinson held in the Kislak Center. It represents an early celebration of a new nation and a reckoning with what patriotism in a burgeoning democracy should look like.

3 min. read