Philadelphians: 250 Years of Hard-Working Leadership

All Americans know that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th,1776 in Philadelphia at what is now known as Independence Hall.   The 56 signers were from throughout Colonial America, serving as delegates to the Second Continental Congress.  But far fewer people know how 17 days in Philadelphia cemented the foundation of the future United States of America, when the work took place to create the widely admired blueprint of our nation’s founding.   

July 4th is the date we celebrate, but the work leading to that was done from June 12th to June 28th.  Over those 17 days Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on the second floor of a three-story home on the corner of 7th Street and Market Street, which at the time was a quieter part of the city.  Jefferson rented his quarters in the brick home of Jacob Graff, a plumber and third generation American whose grandmother and grandfather, a tailor, emigrated from Germany in the 1740s. 

Those 17 days of hard work in our city benefited all Colonial Americans, by leading to our founding and our freedom. It laid out a plan to be adopted by the original 13 colonies eventually becoming 50 states in a grand experiment that has now lasted for 250 years.

Like Jefferson’s work on the corner of 7th and Market, Philadelphians have been a shining example of American ingenuity, grit, innovation and hard work for these two-and-a-half centuries.  

Innovations like the fire department, the public library, and documents guaranteeing independence and freedom laid the groundwork.   Future generations created agrarian advancements throughout the Keystone State, then claimed manufacturing leadership, as well as playing key cogs in the development of the railroads, oil, steel and other foundational industries that fueled the growth of our nation.  

To this day the Philadelphia area produces leaders in education, biotech, pharma, healthcare, technology, finance, insurance, technology, and many other sectors of our economy.     

At Direct LTx we’re proud to do our small part, that of serving the innovative organizations of today, those doing the hard work that leads to new advancements in key industries that improve the lives of all of us. 

More importantly this week, the week that we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence from England, we are proud citizens of a country that has been a beacon for freedom and progress.

And it all started with 17 days of work on the corner of 7th and Market.