I know it might not be very original, but my one place to visit in Philadelphia is Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The "founding fathers" are often used as a political cudgel - a way to show our opponents how far they have strayed from the supposed perfect vision of the men who gathered in Philadelphia to debate and sign both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. However, even a superficial review of what actually transpired at Independence Hall shows how difficult it was for the representatives from the 13 colonies to come to agreement. The Declaration and the Constitution weren't some perfect documents handed down by God, but rather they were heavily debated documents created by imperfect people. What brought them together was that they all felt England wasn't treating them very well. They came together because that was the only chance they had to overthrow Britain and become independent.
If you could somehow ask any of our founding fathers how to solve our modern problems they certainly wouldn't have any great solutions. What they would say is that we have to figure that out for ourselves. They created a process, not answers. What they created has become the foundation for the modern governments all over the world. As the UNESCO site states, even the United Nations charter was influenced by the U.S. Constitution. When most people think about being proud to be a U.S. citizen, they are picturing Independence Hall in their mind's eye.
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