Junior Ranger’s Name: ______________ Date: _____
Independence
Welcome to Independence National
Historical Park!
• Explore Independence National Historical Park and learn about the founding of our nation.
• Hear park rangers tell the stories about Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
• Complete fun activities in the booklet and become a Junior Ranger.
• Share your stories with friends and family when you return home.
How to become a Junior Ranger:
1. Ages 5-7, do 5 or more activities.
Ages 8 and over, do 8 or more activities.
Harder activities
have this symbol:
2. Attend at least one ranger guided tour or activity. Check at the
Independence Visitor Center for times, locations, and free tickets.
3. Take your booklet to the Independence Visitor Center at 6
th
and Market
Street. Go to the NPS information desk and ask a Park Ranger to check your
en claim your reward.
Easier activities
have this symbol:
booklet. Th
A voice
Good Day! My name is Mattie. Life in the late 1700s is very
exciting – many things are happening. Let me help show you
around. Did you know that Philadelphia is the birthplace of the
United States? The Declaration of Independence and the
United States Constitution were signed here.
from the past
The State House Bell, later called the Liberty Bell, is more than a cracked bell that no
longer rings. It is a symbol of liberty. Though silent, it still calls to people from all over
the world with a message of freedom and liberty.
1. Unscramble the message. Look for clues on the Liberty Bell.
LAL HET ANLD NUTO LAL
ETH BHINAISTANT FETREOH
2. Draw the Liberty Bell.
We often hear the State House Bell ring to call the law makers to work.
Some times it rings all day to celebrate special occasions, such as the
King’s birthday. My cousin Isaac says that the bell is so loud that he
can hear it all the way in the country!
ICPRAOLM YELIRTB TURHUGHOTO
1. Liberty Bell Center
A voice from the past
The Assembly Room
1. What two important documents were signed here?
2. How many tables are there for the delegates? ______
Why that number?
3. Name three things you see on the tables.
4. Circle the “Rising Sun” chair.
Who sat here during the Constitutional Convention in 1787?
I wasn’t allowed in this room, but I heard that Mr. Jefferson spent over
two weeks perfecting the Declaration of Independence. The
Continental Congress made a lot of changes, and Mr. Jefferson was
upset. Mr. Franklin tried to cheer up Mr. Jefferson with a funny story.
I heard that Mr. Jefferson didn’t even smile.
2. Independence Hall
A voice from the past
The National Park Service preserves historical places, objects, and documents. Explore
the Great Essentials exhibit.
This room was modified to help preserve three important documents.
Label the three documents on display below.
In light and air, old paper fades and falls apart. To prevent this, the pages of these documents
are turned or removed every sixth months. What replaces the Declaration of Independence
when it is not on display?
Ask a park ranger what other ways we preserve the documents and name one.
3. Great Essentials
I heard shouts of “huzzah” from behind the State House on July 8
th
.
That was the day the Declaration of Independence was read in
public. I wish I could have been there, but my parents wouldn’t let
me go. They don’t want to break ties with Great Britain and were
afraid that fights would break out.
A voice from the past
I practice my school lessons using a slate board and chal
up, I will write with a quill pen and paper.
Try this at Home – Quill Pen
Materials: Drinking straw, scissors, Kool-Aid
®
, small cup, tape, construction
paper, teaspoon
Procedure:
1. With an adult’s help, cut the straw at an angle so that it comes to a point.
2. Cut the construction paper like a feather and tape the paper to the straw.
3. Pour Kool-Aid
®
mix into a small cup and add no more than a teaspoon
of water. Stir until combined.
4. Write with your new pen on paper. Allow the ink to dry before you
move your document.
4. Great Essentials
Connect the dots. Discover the silver object
used to sign both the Declaration and the
Constitution.
A voice from the past
k. When I grow
Revolutionary Timeline
5. Loyalists and Patriots
1781
Articles of
Confederation is ratified
1774
First Continental
Congress meets in
Carpenters’ Hall
1773
Boston Tea Party
Independence wasn’t for everyone. Patriots wanted independence. Loyalists wanted
to continue ties with England. Put an “L” next to the Loyalists and a “P” next to the
Patriots.
1764
Su
g
ar Ac
t
1765
Stamp Act
1767
Townshed Act
1775
Revolutionary War
begins
1776
Second Continental
Congress, Declaration
of Independence is
signed
1783
Revolutionary War
ends
“I have money saved in England’s banks. I
might lose it all if we go to war.”
“I worry about my son in Washington’s army.”
“England is our home country and has
provided a wonderful opportunity for a new
life in America. People in England pay taxes.
Why shouldn’t we?”
“England is too far away, the government over
there does not understand our problems. I want
a say in how the country is run.
“No taxation without re
p
resentation!”
“Perhaps I can gain my freedom by joining the
British army.”
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of
6. Congress Hall
1787
U.S. Constitution is
sign
ed
1794
Congress establishe
Navy
s a
1790
Capital move
Philadelphi
s to
a
1791
Bill of Rights is rati ,
Vermont becomes a
fie
state
d
1789
George Washington
is elected pres t iden
1800
Capital moves to
Washington, D.C.
1792
Kentucky becomes a
state
1796
John Adams is elected
president, Tennessee
becomes a state
Use the timeline to order the following events. The first one has
been done for you.
_____ John Adams is elected president.
_____ The US Constitution is written.
_____ The Bill of Rights is ratified.
_____ The capital moves to Washington, D.C.
_____ Kentucky becomes a state.
_____ George Washington is elected president.
1
7. President’s House Site
Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and worked in a large brick house.
Washington had 24 people who lived and toiled in the house, including up to nine enslaved
Africans. Once the house was torn down in 1835, people forgot they lived here. When
archeologists dug into the ground near the Liberty Bell Center they discovered the stone
remains of the basement walls. Now we are learning about the lives of the people who lived
here.
Each of the people pictured below lived at the President’s House at some point during the
1790s. Identify each person. The first one has been done for you.
Abigail Adams
Our second “First Lady.”
Lived here from 1797-1800.
Hercules
Enslaved cook for the Washington
family. Seized his freedom in 1797.
George Washington Parke Custis
Martha Washington’s grandson.
He was 8 years old when he moved here.
Oney Judge
Enslaved seamstress for Martha Washington.
Seized her freedom in 1796.
George Washington
Our First President.
Lived here 1790-1797.
Nellie Custis
Martha Washington’s granddaughter.
Lived here from age 11.
These people walked through the streets of Philadelphia when it was the nation’s capital.
Find their portraits in the main room of the Portrait Gallery and write their names.
8. Second Bank
This man wrote the Declaration of
Independence and later became
our third president. Who is he?
This man helped the British
in the American Revolution.
Later, he met with President
Washington. Who is he?
This lady was very dignified
and a gracious hostess. She was
not from Philadelphia, but knew
many people here and at Valley
Forge. Who is she?
This man lived near Boston,
Massachusetts but spent years
in Philadelphia. He was our
second president. Who is he?
Benjamin Franklin was apprenticed to his brother at the age of twelve. He learned how to
set type and print newspapers. The skills he learned enabled him to open his own printing
office in Philadelphia. Learn the steps of printing and number each step. The first one has
been done for you.
I am apprenticed to a milliner and am learning to make all sorts of fancy
hats. I’ve learned how to make men’s caps and shirts too. My mistress
gives me two meals a day and a place to sleep. Sometimes, she lets me
make my own hats with leftover materials.
9. Printing Office
Set each letter on
composing stick.
Put ink on type.
Take paper off press
and hang to dry.
Place paper on frame.
Roll frame into the press.
Pull lever twice.
1
A voice from the past
To keep people from making fake money, printers like Benjamin Franklin put a leaf imprint on
official money. A leaf imprint is like a fingerprint – no two are alike.
Try this at Hom
Materials:
Procedure:
1. With an adult’s help, cut paper into a square or rectangle.
2. Decorate the paper any way you want – make sure you
write how much the paper money is worth!
3. Place a leaf behind paper. Use the crayon to color on the paper over the leaf so
that it leaves an imprint.
Create two of your own sayings.
e – Colonial Money
scissors, white copy paper, crayons, leaf
10. Printing Office
Benjamin Franklin published Poor Richard’s Almanack, a best seller. It contained
important dates, weather forecasts, and funny sayings like these:
* “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
* “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
* “Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.”
* “A true friend is the best possession.”
1.
2.
Help Doctor Franklin find his way home to Franklin Court for glass armonica practice.
Use his inventions and improvements to avoid danger.
11. A“maze”ing Inventions
During long debates, Benjamin Franklin passed the time by making Magic Squares. Use
each number only once. Each line (up-down, left-right, and diagonal) add up to the same
number. The first one has been done for you. Try the second.
s
nging, so I looked through
ass
15 10 5 4
Yesterday, I heard the strangest sounds coming from Dr. Franklin’
house. At first I thought it might be angels si
the window. It was Dr. Franklin playing his latest invention, the gl
armonica.
6 3 16 9
12 13 2 7
1 8 11 14
8
2
12. Magical Numbers
Numbers to use:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16
Rows add to 34
Numbers to use:
1, 2
, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Rows add to 15
A voice from the past
13. Franklin Court
Imagine what Franklin’s house looked like. It had three stories with a garret (a small
attic). Since it was built before light bulbs and electric heating, it probably had lots of
windows and some chimneys. Draw what you think Franklin’s house looked like. Be
sure to include Dr. Franklin somewhere!
Match each historic house of worship with its name and description. If you can’t visit
them all, use the displays at the Visitor Center across from the information desk to help
you.
Christ Church was the first Anglican Church
to break away from the Church of England.
George Washington attended services here.
It is located at 2
nd
and Market Street.
Mother Bethel was founded by Richard Allen
in 1794 and became the first African Methodist
Episcopal Church. It is located at 6
th
and
Lombard Street.
Free Quaker Meeting House was built by a
group of Quakers who fought the British in the
Revolutionary War. Most Quakers did not
believe in fighting. It is located at 5
th
and Arch
Street.
St. Joseph’s Church was the first Roman
Catholic Church in Philadelphia. It is located at
4
th
and Walnut Street.
Gloria Dei is the oldest church in Pennsylvania.
It was built by the Swedish Lutheran settlers
and is located at Columbus Boulevard and
Christian Street.
Mikveh Israel is a Jewish synagogue in
Philadelphia which was founded in 1740. It is
located on 4
th
Street between Market and Arch.
14. Historic Houses of Worship
William Penn, a Quaker, established the colony of Pennsylvania
as a “holy experiment.” His idea of “religious tolerance,”
encouraged people to come here from different places to freely
practice their religion.
A voice from the past
The National Park Service protects historical resources as well as natural landscapes. It
protects trails, lakeshores, forests, as well as battlefields, cemeteries, and historical
buildings. This map shows the locations of National Parks in the United States.
1. Draw an X where you live.
2. Circle the National Park sites you have visited, including this one.
3. Why do you think National Parks are important?
15. Protecting Our History
National Park System
•
Location of National Park System unit
United States Territories
Libert
y
Bell clue
Trading Card Program
Kids, earn "Faces of Independence" trading cards by visiting buildings,
talking to Rangers, and answering questions. Collect cards from four groups
to learn the message of the Liberty Bell, or collect them all!
Most of these cards feature some of the many different people who created
the brand new United States here in Philadelphia. Some show us important
objects that help to tell that story. Collecting trading cards is a fun way to
learn more about your national park and the creation of the nation.
The front of each card shows an important person or object. Paintings are the
only way that we know what some of these great Americans looked like.
d highlights (this is Phillis
he accomplishments of each person or tells
object. Each card also features a quote by or about the person (or thi
How do you get these terrific cards? Go to the buildings listed below, talk to a Park Ranger, do
some activities, and answer questions about the park, American History, or something that you
more questions you can answer; the more cards you can earn and
art collecting with our special Liberty Bell Card. It shows you
what other cards you can get for your collection.
WHERE TO GET CARDS:
The Liberty Bell Center
The Independence Visitor Center
The West Wing of Independence Hall,
The Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank of the United States
New Hall Military Museum
The Declaration House
Franklin Court
The Underground Museum
The Printing Office
Fragments of Franklin Court (318 Market St.)
The back of each car
Wheatley) some of t
may have learned today. The
the more that you can learn. St
some of the story of each
ng) featured.
at Independence National Historical
e (IPI) offers hands-on interactive
education programs for school groups, and for learners of all ages. Contact us
ogram offerings or to reserve a program for your
Want to learn about education programs
Park? The Independence Park Institut
for more information about pr
group.
Check Out www.
nps.gov/inde or Call (215) 597-2760.
4/2010
