Here is a document from the State Library that shows that people were concerned about sanitary conditions in Philadelphia in Revolutionary times. As the largest city in America, public health and sanitation were very important! Diseases like yellow fever and smallpox threatened Philadelphia residents. Hospitals and public health initiatives popped up during this time. 

Advertisements and news in the Pennsylania Gazette cover some interesting topics, such as horse thievery. Do you think that the horses were stolen and released? Did they just escape from a pen by themselves? Stealing horses was a big problem in Colonial Philadelphia. What is one of the most commonly stolen item in Philadelphia today? 

This page of the Pennsylvania Gazette is a great introduction to the life and times of a Philadelphia resident in 1776. Browse through the articles and advertisements to see how the newspaper is used to share information. How much do eggs cost? What is the news from London? Read Ben Franklin's newspaper, "The Pennsylvania Gazette" to find out what folks were talking about in Philadelphia, August 1776. 

Taxing alcohol sales in the colonies... what's next? Check out this document that lays out some suggestions on putting a tax on alcohol sales in Pennsylvania. A few years later, there occured an uprising among farmers in Western Pennsylvania. Have you heard of the Whiskey Rebellion?  

Philadelphia was a bustling harbor with ships traveling across the Atlantic and to the Caribbean Islands. Here is an announcement for a ship leaving for Jamaica. I wonder what they are carrying? The value of sugar cane was fueling the human slave trade in this time. Check out the newspaper for signs of the common practices of incivility and cruelty in colonial America. 

What's for sale in the store looks a lot different than today. What are some differences you note in the items for sale in this ad? Check out the full newspaper to see what other stores were selling. If you could pick one thing to buy, what would it be? 

Philadelphia was a big city! Leaders were planning public works for managine jobs like keeping the street lights on and day to day infrastructure to keep the city in tip top shape. What are some differences you see between Philadelphia in Colonial times and what your city is like. Is there knowledge today that would have helped residents create a better, more healthy city for themselves? 

This page of the Pennsylvania Gazette has several advertisements with rewards for finding and capturing people. These people include AWOL soldiers, indentured servants, and enslaved people. How are they described in the advertisements? What evidence of de-humanization do you read here? Do you know the difference between indentured servants and enslaved people? They are not the same thing.

Indentured servants were free after completing a contract of their employment, usually paying off the price of the trip from their home country. Their work was not pre-determined by their birth: children of indentured servants did not become indentured servants themselves. They were not considered "property" and had rights.

Enslaved people were never free, unless they escaped. Children born to enslaved people were considered "property" just like their parents. Enslaved people had very few rights. Read more about enslaved people in the Special Populations section of the website.