On Thursday, Oct. 1 the junior class took a field trip to Philadelphia to visit Independence Hall and the Constitution Center in order to learn more about United States history. The junior class is currently learning about U.S. history beginning with the Age of Exploration and leading up to the American Revolution. The activities and presentations the students participated in on the trip directly correlated with what they have been studying for the past four weeks.

The trip began at Independence Hall where the students went on tours with their history class. The tours were given in the East Wing of the Hall, and its main focus was the American Revolution. The students were also able to visit the rooms in which famous American documents such as The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution were written and signed.

Next, the classes visited the Constitution Center where they saw the performance “Freedom Rising” about the founding of the United States government, and were allowed to explore the building with friends on their own. Afterwards, the students were given permission to explore Philadelphia in small groups of friends, see other famous landmarks, and enjoy a traditional Philly cheesesteak.

Many of the students enjoyed going on the class trip and learning more about United States history.

“The performance about the founding of America we saw at the Constitution Center was really interesting,” Katie Hensler ’17 said. “I also had a fun time going out for lunch and exploring Philadelphia with my friends.”

“I really enjoyed the whole trip. It was cool seeing where people like George Washington actually sat in Independence Hall,” Cait Barrett ’17 agreed.

The Peddie School history teachers who chaperoned the trip enjoyed the experience just as much as the students did and hoped that the trip enforced all the history material that was taught in school.

When history teacher Austin Frank was asked about the benefits and learning points of the trip for the students, he explained that it was necessary for them to get an alternate perspective on the history and see where historical events actually occurred.

“The trip definitely coincided with what we have been studying in class…so students were able to actually ground the things they learned,” stated Frank. “It allows us to have a better understanding of American history.”

After the trip the U.S. history students will begin learning more about the American Revolution and the history that follows.