The Founders of Freedom's City
Discover the untold stories of courage, faith, and resilience that built the moral soul of Philadelphia.
About the Book
The Founders of Freedom's City is a sweeping, place-based history that restores visibility to the African American men and women who built, sustained, and transformed Philadelphia from its colonial beginnings through the early 20th century.
Through over one hundred meticulously researched profiles, the book links each life story to a specific home, neighborhood, church, business, or school—revealing a map of Black resilience that still shapes the city's physical and moral landscape today.
More than a history book, this is part atlas, part elegy, and part guided walking tour through neighborhoods where courage, intellect, and artistry met structural inequity head-on.
"They did not know they were making history; they only knew they were making things right."
About the Author
Michelle Thornhill is an educator, cultural historian, and preservation advocate devoted to uncovering and celebrating the stories of Black excellence that have shaped Philadelphia and beyond.
As a curator of local history and community memory, she has spent decades documenting the lives, homes, and legacies of the city's early African American founders—bridging the gap between scholarship and storytelling.
Michelle's work combines archival research, public history, and personal narrative to honor those whose names were often erased but whose impact remains etched into the streets, churches, and schools of Philadelphia.
The Founders of Freedom's City stands as both tribute and testimony—a reminder that the past still lives beneath our feet, and that the streets remember.
Inside the Book
Journey through three centuries of courage, culture, and community.
The 18th Century
Foundations of Faith and Freedom
Meet the founders—Richard and Sarah Allen, Absalom Jones, Cyrus Bustill, and others who built the first institutions of Black faith and liberation.
The 19th Century
Resistance, Renaissance & Reconstruction
The Still, Forten, and Purvis families carried forward the work of freedom through education, abolition, and enterprise.
The 20th Century
Legacy, Leadership & Liberation
From Marian Anderson to Charles Albert Tindley, explore how Philadelphia's Black pioneers shaped art, faith, and civil rights.
" The streets remember. "
" Faith built what freedom would one day protect. "
" Every home was a headquarters; every church a declaration. "
" They turned struggle into structure—and left a legacy of light. "
Be Part of the Legacy
Pre-order your copy of The Founders of Freedom's City today and join a movement to preserve the untold stories that define America's moral and cultural roots.
Michelle Thornhill
Cultural Historian & Preservation Advocate
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