Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1776, Philadelphia was the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress. The delegates convened at the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall, where they debated and approved the Declaration.
Philadelphia was the political center of the revolutionary movement and also a major printing city. The Declaration’s first public printing was produced there by John Dunlap, and the document was read publicly in the city on July 8, 1776.
Washington, D.C., is a frequent modern mix-up because it is the current capital of the United States and houses the Declaration’s permanent display at the National Archives. The adoption itself occurred decades before Washington, D.C., became the national capital.