The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Independence Hall, the building commemorated by America250.
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, explaining why the thirteen American colonies were separating from Great Britain.
The name Independence Hall became associated with the building because of its role in the founding of the United States. It was also the meeting place where the United States Constitution was debated and signed in 1787. That dual association makes the site one of the most important historic locations in the country.
Independence Hall is sometimes confused with nearby Carpenters’ Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. Federal Hall in New York City is also historically important: George Washington took the presidential oath there in 1789. Neither building was the site of the Declaration’s adoption.