Produced alongside the UK television production company, Bear House Media, 'Becoming American: Philadelphia’s Story' examines our nation’s origins through the lens of Philadelphia — from its time as America’s first capital to the cultures, ideas and identities that shaped the city and the country.
The narrative blends contemporary cinematography with early visuals of the city, and highlights the contributions of early African Americans, Indigenous people, and other diverse communities whose resilience and intellect shaped and challenged the Quaker vision. This film doesn’t just focus on well-known founders; it shines a light on the everyday people whose stories are often written out of history and how their contributions were also essential to the making of a new America.
Two of the film’s key historians are Philadelphia-based — Dr. Kelli Racine Barnes, a Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow, and Emma Lapsansky-Werner, Ph.D, from the Department of History (Emerita) at Haverford College. Alongside them are archivists and experts from The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The Independence Seaport Museum, the Museum of the American Revolution and Mother Bethel’s first female pastor. Key academics from around the US featured in the documentary include Dr. Tara A. Bynum, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa; Dr. James Alexander Dun, Associate Dean at Princeton; and Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson, Lynn Chair of History at Baylor University.
The Music Department at the Community College of Philadelphia, led by Professor Paul Geissenger, was supported by colleagues and students who played key roles in shaping the film's audio, mixing the original score, helping to create the sound design for the art scenes, and additional voiceover recordings. The production also fostered an academic and creative exchange with Moore College of Art & Design. Through fellowship placements, students joined the production abroad in the UK to support filming of the art scenes, and a postgraduate collaborator contributed to costume and film location research in Philadelphia.
The film’s original score, composed by New Jersey-based musician and Grammy award-nominated songwriter Christopher Michael Stevens, draws from jazz and gospel traditions and was brought to life by local collaborators. Drexel University scholar, jazz bandleader, and trombonist Brent White led professional Philadelphia musicians in arranging and performing works by Francis Johnson, one of America’s earliest Black composers. These performances were recorded live, in front of an audience, at Chris’ Jazz Café.
The film closes with a new recording of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' by Philadelphia artist Bethlehem the Vocussionist and accompanied by a band using her original arrangement.
For more information about the documentary, visit becomingamericanmovie.com.
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