Part 7: The Radicals’ University

Occupation

By late 1776, British military actions threatened eastern Pennsylvania, and the new Pennsylvania government struggled to maintain civic order. The governing Council of Safety, headed by David Rittenhouse, called for militia units to assemble and closed shops and schools.^[1] In early 1777, soldiers were quartered in school buildings, despite the protests of Rev. William Smith and his faculty, and education ended as the British threatened the city in June. The closure of the school during the British occupation is noted only briefly in the Trustees Minutes: “From the 28^th of June 1777 to the 25^th of September 1778 there were no regular meetings of the Board, on account of the State of public Affairs; nor any Minutes taken—”. The buildings were converted to a British military hospital during the British occupation of Philadelphia.

1. A Rising People, 38–39. ↑