For America250, at which historic building did Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence?

For America250, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall.

The building was called the Pennsylvania State House in 1776. It stood in Philadelphia and housed the Second Continental Congress when delegates debated and adopted the Declaration on July 4. The name Independence Hall became associated with the building later because of these revolutionary events.

The same building also hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where delegates drafted the United States Constitution. That connection makes Independence Hall central to both the independence story commemorated by America250 and the later creation of the federal government.

Carpenters’ Hall is another Philadelphia meeting place linked to the revolutionary era, but it was not the site where Congress adopted the Declaration. Federal Hall in New York is associated with George Washington’s first presidential inauguration. These similarly named landmarks can cause confusion, especially for visitors studying early American history.