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CNN Live Today
City of Brotherly Love Prepares for Fourth
Aired July 04, 2002 - 12:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In the city where much of America's history was forged, Secretary of State Colin Powell is honored with the Philadelphia Liberty Bell. It's awarded every year on this day to those who exemplify this country's founding principles, and CNN's Michael Okwu is also there, talking with folks about the early days of the United States of America. Happy Fourth of July to you, Michael.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Happy Fourth to you, Fredricka, and Happy Fourth to the million or so people who are expected to head over here to Philadelphia for the July 4th festivities today, many of them we are told. They're probably heading right here to center city or the historic part of Philadelphia. This is a place that has been referred to by many people as the birthplace of our nation, and why not?
There's many things to see here, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall where, of course, the Declaration of Independence was signed back in 1776. We had the great opportunity of running into, shall we say, an important historical figure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU (voice over): So your name is Kim Hanley (ph) but I understand in these parts they call you Betsy Ross?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh yes, how do we do today?
OKWU: I'm very well, thank you, pleasure to make your acquaintance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My flag is almost done. I'm just putting the stars to the back of it now.
OKWU: So this is the actual flag, not the actual flag but the replica of the flag that you designed back in...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well if you like the first ones. The first ones I made were for ships though, much larger than this, 14 by six feet.
OKWU: So how did you arrive at this concept?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh well, I did not. It arrived to me, sir. My late husband's uncle, George Ross was a member of Congress and responsible for getting some of these banners made, so he showed me a design that incorporated the old colonial banner, but based on George Washington's grand Union flag.
OKWU: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See in 1775, Washington put the 13 stripes to the whole so that all of our fighting me could look up proudly at the banner and see their colony represented. Now in 1776, what occurred? Our Declaration of?
OKWU: Independence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Independence, and if we're going to be independent from Great Britain, do we need to see that Union Jack anymore?
OKWU: I would think they didn't want to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if we strike the Union Jack and replace it with 13 stars, one for each colony representing a new constellation, we quite have our American Stars and Stripes.
OKWU: And history.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And history.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, Betsy, I understand that you own this specific piece of furniture, but that's not the most significant thing about this room, and legend has it that there was a secret meeting here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes secret. This room is in the back of the house and the gentlemen from Congress presented me with the flag design here, rather than in the front room, where that nice big window looks on to Mulberry Street, or Arch Street as you now know it. Of course, one-third of the city were fiercely loyal to King George, so we weren't going to unfurl our new Stars and Stripes right there in the front room. We took it back here in secret.
OKWU: And then you had some visitors, secret visitors, George Washington among them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, and Robert Morris and my late husband's uncle George Ross showed me the flag design here.
OKWU: And after that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went upstairs and sewed in secret again the new banners that would fly on the ships going out of Philadelphia.
OKWU: And that is how our flag was born?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
OKWU: Well, I appreciate your telling me this story. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I thank thee for inquiring.
OKWU: And, you know, you look remarkably well, Betsy, after all these years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I was born in 1752. You do the math.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OKWU (on camera): Betsy looking so well after all these years. We also ran into a very well-preserved Thomas Jefferson and a Ben Franklin and I think one of the people behind all of this might be Meryl Levitz. You were one of the officials with the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Board. Tell me, did your organize all these lookalikes?
MERYL LEVITZ, PHILADELPHIA TOURISM MARKETING: No.
OKWU: How did they come to be?
LEVITZ: They are the ghosts of the past. There are many people here who are not actors. They are interpreters and they feel it very deeply because they know that when people come here, it's a very different thing to be in the picture as they are here, than it is to read about it or see the pictures somewhere else. So, they're everywhere helping people bring that spirit back.
OKWU: It's remarkable. I mean brining the spirit back. They actually talk in accents as well.
LEVITZ: They do because it was on these cobblestones, on this ground, in these buildings that the real Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross were. And so it just comes over you, especially early in the morning or at dusk. You really feel it.
OKWU: Tell me, July 4th today with the political climate being what it is, what does it mean for the people of Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation to have a celebration?
LEVITZ: Philadelphians feel it's really their mission to be where it all began and to help people bring that spirit into their own lives and especially after 9/11. People just really did want to reconnect. Fortunately, Philadelphia is within a five-hour drive of the quarter of the country's population, so yes people are here by the millions.
OKWU: Now, Meryl, I mean no disrespect by this and I haven't done any surveys. Just based on my anecdotal analysis, it seems like more people when they talk about colonial times and visiting that era, they talk about Williamsburg, or they talk about Boston. Do you think Philadelphia gets its fair share of attention regarding that?
LEVITZ: More people talk about Williamsburg and Boston, but more people actually come here. So, we're very grateful to them for helping us paint the picture, but this is the real deal.
OKWU: Appreciate that.
LEVITZ: Thank you.
OKWU: Meryl Levitz, thank you so much. This is going to be a long celebration tonight. There are fireworks tonight. There is going to be a parade as well and we understand that those million or so people are looking forward to taking a little walk down memory lane. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: I bet. All right, Michael Okwu from Philadelphia, the town of brotherly love. Thank you very much.
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