Philadelphia is where America made its sacred pledge that "all men are created equal." Though there are many ways that pledge has not been fulfilled, one of the most striking came in Philadelphia, seventy years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Dr. Zachary Schrag's book, "The Fires of Philadelphia: Citizen-Soldiers, Nativists, and the 1844 Riots Over the Soul of the Nation" explains how the city containing Independence Hall became a hotbed of ethnic violence. Nativists did everything they could to run Catholics out of the city. The age-old question, "What does it mean to be an American" was at the forefront as they battled over the right to worship, public opinion and prayer in school. Schrag describes riots, church burnings and how a band of soldiers fought for the country's future as a place of acceptance.

Zachary Schrag is on social media at twitter.com/zacharyschrag

His website is zacharyschrag.com

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