The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, a founding event connected with America250.
Delegates gathered at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, beginning on May 25, 1787. Their official assignment was to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the convention ultimately produced an entirely new framework of government.
George Washington presided over the convention. Delegates debated representation, executive power, federal authority, and slavery in closed sessions. The resulting Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 of the 42 delegates still present.
Philadelphia was already a major political center and had hosted the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary era. It was not the permanent national capital: the federal government later moved to New York City, then Philadelphia, before settling in Washington, D.C. This distinction helps prevent confusion between the convention’s meeting place and later capitals.