In which building was the Declaration of Independence adopted, the central document of America’s 250th anniversary?

The Declaration of Independence was adopted in the Pennsylvania State House, the central document’s historic setting for America’s 250th anniversary.

The Pennsylvania State House stood in Philadelphia and later became known as Independence Hall. The Second Continental Congress met there when it adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776.

The building also hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787. That connection makes it especially important in U.S. history: the same complex is associated with both independence and the creation of the federal Constitution.

The name Independence Hall became common after the American Revolution. Visitors sometimes call the entire surrounding site Independence Hall, but the historic building itself was originally the Pennsylvania State House.