The 1787 Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall.
The convention opened on May 25, 1787, after enough delegates arrived to form a quorum, and concluded on September 17. Delegates had initially been sent to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they ultimately drafted an entirely new framework for the federal government.
George Washington presided over the meeting. Major debates addressed representation, executive authority, federal powers, and the balance between large and small states. The resulting Constitution created legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Philadelphia was already a major political center. The Declaration of Independence had been adopted there in 1776, and the city served as the national capital under the Confederation and later as the temporary U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800. The convention itself is also called the Federal Convention, Philadelphia Convention, or Grand Convention at Philadelphia.