The Chestnut Hill Local

‘In Pursuit’ and the making of a nation, coming to Northwest Philadelphia

The story of Philadelphia has unfolded in unpredictable, often disturbing, and yet astonishing ways. Central to the city’s early days was the very birth of our nation.

Episode 5: America (1838-1876), and a Phila. activist falls

A 12-foot bronze statue of Octavius Valentine Catto stands at the southwest corner of Philadelphia City Hall. It is suitably larger than life.

Episode 5 summary: America

Episode 5’s pursuit of America is a battle to reclaim and expand on the ideals animating the Declaration of Independence.

Episode 1: Penn’s ‘holy experiment’ sullied by slavery

The first Europeans to arrive on the East Coast encountered the indigenous people who had occupied the land for centuries.

Episode 1 summary: Freedom

Episode 1: “Freedom (until 1700)” will be screened Thursday, Oct. 29, at Germantown Friends School, 31 W. Coulter St., Germantown. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Episode 2: Land (1700-1762), and a fight for control

The city of Philadelphia, while not ungovernable, was set up very much like a medieval corporation, not a modern government.

Episode 2 summary: Land

Quaker ideals of religious freedom attract waves of immigrants from Ireland and Germany to Pennsylvania, but they cannot settle on land that has not been formally acquired through treaty from the Lenape.

About the ‘In Pursuit’ film series, local viewing schedule

“In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America” consists of 10 hour-long episodes releasing throughout 2026 and into early 2027. In partnership with the Chestnut Hill Local — as a public …

Andrew Ferrett

Q&A with ‘In Pursuit’ director Andrew Ferrett

We have been calling the “In Pursuit,” film series, “a new American history for our time.”