Philadelphia: The Great Experiment

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Philadelphia: The Great Experiment is a multi-format historical documentary television film and Internet project that presents the story of Philadelphia, the single most compelling stage for the unfurling and testing of American ideals. William Penn’s city was the first in the world to codify freedom of religion, individual rights, trial by jury, and a democratic assembly as the pillars of a constitution amendable by the people.
Since then, ideas of equality and tolerance, public good and private enterprise, freedom and subjugation, have been continuously measured against each other and Penn’s own vision. The documentary explores America’s first city from its pre-history and then across nearly four centuries, as the nation's laboratory of ideas, a place of continuous innovation, exploration, and inquiry.
A primary goal of the film is to give the viewer a better understanding of the origins and development of American ideas and ideals and the American character, through the lens of the Great Experiment. The story of democracy, the Constitution, civil rights, religious freedom, and of pluralism originates in Philadelphia. By using Philadelphia as an outstanding example of the urban crucible, viewers will not only understand Philadelphia better, but will appreciate the meaning of being American more fully. It is also a crucial point in the history of participatory democracy in America. Vitally engaging civic projects such as this one are therefore necessary. The film acknowledges the fragile and contested nature of democracy and engages the viewer with ideas, people, and places. By attaching the ideas of democracy, freedom, and tolerance to the specific location of Philadelphia, the viewer engages with four centuries of history, finding new ways to understand the challenges facing America and its cities today.