It was also the country's financial and cultural center, and projects to build new roads, canals, and railroads resulted in Philadelphia becoming the first major industrial city in the United States. As the United States celebrated its centennial in 1876, Philadelphia's industry was celebrated at the Centennial Exposition, the first official World's Fair in the United States.
In 1816, the city's free Black community founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, whose main message was to avoid widespread discrimination in society. It was the first independent Black denomination in the country and the first Black Episcopal Church.
