The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city at the center of America250’s founding-era story.
Congress met in the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall. Delegates debated and revised Thomas Jefferson’s draft during June and early July 1776. On July 4, Congress approved the final wording and issued the Declaration to announce separation from Great Britain.
Philadelphia was the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress and remained a major political center during the Revolutionary era. The city also hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and served as the national capital from 1790 to 1800.
A common mix-up is confusing the city where the Declaration was adopted with the place where the document was printed or later signed. The best-known signing ceremony also took place at Independence Hall, but the city itself is the key answer: Philadelphia.