The 1787 Constitutional Convention drafted the United States Constitution in Philadelphia.
Delegates met at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, from May 25 through September 17, 1787. The convention had originally been called to revise the Articles of Confederation, the first governing framework of the United States, but the delegates instead designed an entirely new constitutional system.
Philadelphia was already a major political center and had hosted the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary era. Its State House had also been the setting for the Declaration of Independence in 1776, making it a powerful symbolic location for another foundational national meeting.
Philadelphia is sometimes confused with New York City because New York served as the federal capital when the Constitution took effect. Washington, D.C., became the permanent national capital later, in 1800. The Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, but ratification occurred through state conventions across the country.