For America's 250th anniversary, where was the U.S. Constitution signed in 1787?

The U.S. Constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.

The building was then known as the Pennsylvania State House. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention met there over four months to design a new federal system intended to replace the government established by the Articles of Confederation.

Thirty-nine delegates signed the final document, representing twelve states. Rhode Island had declined to send delegates to the convention. George Washington, who presided over the convention, signed first, and Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer at age 81.

Independence Hall is also closely associated with the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted there in 1776. That connection can cause confusion, but the Declaration and the Constitution were separate documents created eleven years apart. The building received the name Independence Hall in the 19th century and is now part of Independence National Historical Park.