presented by Dr. John Pollack, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

At a moment when the crises faced by Philadelphia's schooling systems are constantly in the news, we will look back in this presentation to challenges faced by an earlier era of school advocates and reformers. Shortly after the founding of Pennsylvania, colonists called for a kind of public education, and as the colony grew, Quaker leaders fashioned a remarkable urban school system.

Entrepreneurs opened schools of their own for portions of the city's growing population, and some reformers, including Anthony Benezet, argued that African Americans and women should not be excluded from the promise of a good education. Benjamin Franklin intervened in 1749 with his Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania, an educational call-to-arms that today's University of Pennsylvania continues to view as one of its most crucial founding documents.

To learn more about the program and/or to register, Click Here

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015

Location: Benjamin Franklin Museum

Time: 7 PM

Cost: $10 for Members, $15 for General Public

Registration is required to attend all Speaker Series Programs

Sure, we have the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence, but what else is in the park's museum collection?  See some examples of museum objects that you might not expect to find in Independence Park's holdings, and learn about why these objects are important for the park to preserve.  The park's chief curator, Karie Diethorn, will discuss the park's guidelines for museum collecting and show some objects that aren't usually exhibited but which offer interesting stories about our historical past.

To register for this program, Click Here

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2015

Location: Merchant Exchange Building (143 s. 3rd Street Philadelphia, Pa 19106)

Time: 6:30 PM

Cost: Program is free and open to current member's only

Registration is required to attend