This reading is a remarkable account of life in America just after the Revolution.  The author, Johann Schoepf, was a German surgeon who had been with the Hessian troops fighting for the British.  After peace was established, he traveled extensively, and left a fascinating picture of the new nation, its people, and its democratic values.

   The selection includes a variety of topics that easily can be used to draw comparisons to life in America today. 

A drawing of Johann Schoepf.  A native of Germany, he wrote a book about his travels in America just after the Revolution.

A baker preparing loaves of bread for market.  The baker's day began very early, at about 2 o'clock in the morning, so the bread could be baked fresh.

   The account by Johann Schoepf shows that Americans in the 1780s shared many of the values and characteristics that people today think of as "100 percent American." 
   Philadelphia is described as a city of active and involved citizens.  Its people are industrious, and its market is busy and exciting.  The people are not overly concerned with fancy style, but live in a clean and orderly way. 
   The citizens try to get along with each other, and tolerate different religious views.  They are generous and public spirited.  Education is valued, and the library is open to the public of all social classes.  Newspapers have freedom to criticize public officials, and citizens show they will support freedom of the press when it is challenged. 
   A sense of equality is very strong.  Schoepf notes that "the poorest day-laborer" speaks about political and religious issues with as much freedom as "the gentleman or the scholar."  Unlike Europe with its rigid class divisions, Schoepf notes that in Philadelphia, "Rank of birth is not recognized." 

   Some aspects of American life have changed since the 1780s, of course.  City life in some ways is better, but many parts of American cities are far from "clean and in good order." 
 
 
 

   Americans today are often very public spirited, just as they were in Revolutionary times.  But many people today talk more loudly about their rights than they do about their responsibilities as citizens.  One result has been a great rise in crime, and the night watchman mentioned by Schoepf has been replaced with a large and well equipped police force.
   On the positive side, Americans of different faiths still get along, just as Schoepf noticed in his travels, and often meet together to help deal with community issues.  Newspapers are still an active and vital part of city life, and are still free to write freely about public issues.  A spirit of social equality is still very widespread.
   Medicine still draws many university students, but today doctors can only practice with a license.  Certainly the science and practice of medicine is far improved, but "bad doctors and quacks" have not entirely disappeared.
   Schoepf was very impressed by the Philadelphia market, and remarked that the people of the city appeared well clothed and well fed.  The products in the shops and stores of Philadelphia today would not have been imaginable to anyone of the 1780s.  Still, the basic market system, based on the individual's freedom to produce and sell, is essentially the same.