Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall.
In 1776, the building was known as the Pennsylvania State House. It stood in Philadelphia and served as the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress. The Declaration was adopted there on July 4, 1776, making the building central to the history commemorated by America250.
The name Independence Hall became associated with the site after the American Revolution. The building also hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787, another major event in United States history. Today it forms part of Independence National Historical Park.
A frequent mix-up is Federal Hall in New York City. Federal Hall was where George Washington took the presidential oath in 1789 and where the First Congress met. Carpenters’ Hall also hosted an important early gathering, the First Continental Congress in 1774, but it was not the place where Congress adopted the Declaration.