The 1787 Constitutional Convention met and the United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia.
Delegates gathered at the Pennsylvania State House, the building later known as Independence Hall. The convention ran from May 25 through September 17, 1787, and produced a new framework of government to replace the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution was signed on September 17.
Thirty-nine delegates endorsed the final document. They represented twelve states because Rhode Island declined to send delegates to the convention. George Washington presided, and the convention’s secretary, William Jackson, recorded the proceedings and authenticated corrections to the final text.
Philadelphia is sometimes confused with New York City, which served as the first national capital under the Constitution and hosted George Washington’s first inauguration. Washington, D.C., became the permanent national capital later. The convention’s Philadelphia setting connected the Constitution to the same civic building associated with the Declaration of Independence.