The Museum of the American Revolution’s new exhibit, Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia, introduces kids to concepts of the revolution in a physical and visual way.
The exhibit has six sections, each of which focuses on how it affected Hamilton and how he impacted the country, from his first duel to his views on the Constitution and the economy. Each section has some form of interactive learning.
While the Broadway hit musical Hamilton: An American Musical created a renewed interest in the founding father and New York City, curators of the Museum of the American Revolution hope their exhibit will show how Philadelphia served as a major part of Hamilton’s life and work.
“We really wanted to find a way to make these complex concepts accessible,” says Mark Turdo, Curator at the Philadelphia museum.
The artillery section, for example, has a model Revolutionary War artillery cannon that required seven people to operate it during the war.
Last week, some of the 70 eight-grade students from The Shipley School took turns operating the cannon in groups, while a guide instructed them on the tasks that each of them had to perform.
In another area, students dressed in 18th-century attire and learned the proper way to greet the president during the time period, which included how to bow, sit and display correct posture.
There is also a board game called “Stop The Smuggler,” in which two teams, one playing as the smuggler and one as the ship, General Green, compete against each other.
This gave the students a hands-on and visual example of how the cutter would sail from Philadelphia to patrol the Delaware Bay for smugglers with illegal goods.
“We want the space to be very hands on,” says Matthew Skic, associate curator.
The exhibit is open weekends from 10am – 5pm and weekdays from 1pm – 5pm. Weekday mornings are reserved for school groups.
Matthew Brooks is a MetroKids intern and student at Drexel University.
