One city. Five centuries.

As a young migrant from Boston makes his way through the streets of Philadelphia, he witnesses a city mired in disorder and chaos.

Prominent Black businessman and abolitionist James Forten confronts a moment of crisis when a racist mob threatens his family.

On July 4th 1876, suffragists interrupt a celebratory reading of the Declaration of Independence to protest against the exclusion of women from the nation’s founding promises.

As young Philadelphians face industrial decline and loss of hope, graffiti tags proliferate across the walls of the city.

Nurtured by a loving family and her church community, Marian Anderson perseveres through hardship and racism to develop her remarkable voice.

After World War II, city planners imagine a new horizon for dense, decaying cities.