Members of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will present a teach-in, HISTORY MATTERS: Free Talks with Tour Guides, at various sites within Independence National Historic Park (INHP) on Saturday, April 18 from 1-4 pm. These free, short significant snippets of history will include the history of Blacks and other marginalized groups. Participants can follow a route that starts at the Visitor Center, continues past the President’s House, Liberty Bell Center, and goes along Chestnut Street to Congress Hall, Independence Hall, and Old City Hall. They can visit all five stops or take in as many as time and interest allow. The stories at each site are not sequential.

Those who would like a little extra explanation and some camaraderie can join free tours that will leave the Independence Visitor Center at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 pm to escort guests around to all five sites. Look for the APT table and ‘Ask Me’ name tags! If it’s very cold, we’ll tell stories from inside the Independence Visitor Center.

This public education program is APT’s response to the March 27, 2025 executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” This order directed the secretary of the Department of the Interior to make sure that displays at national parks do not “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times).” Instead, he said, they are to “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

To make sure the full American history is not lost or forgotten, guides will discuss true stories about colonial slavery, Black resistance and self-determination, and other underrepresented narratives in early American life. The public is encouraged to attend the HISTORY MATTERS: Free Talks with Tour Guides to learn a more complete account of our country’s history.

The event is free, nonpartisan, and family-friendly. No registration is required. All are welcome!