The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
In 1776, Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House, the building later renamed Independence Hall. The declaration was debated and approved there as delegates considered how to explain the colonies’ decision to separate from Great Britain. Philadelphia was the meeting place of the Continental Congress and a major center of colonial political activity.
The city’s role extends beyond the declaration. The Constitutional Convention also met at Independence Hall in 1787, where delegates drafted and signed the United States Constitution. The same building therefore connects two of the country’s most important founding documents.
Boston is closely associated with the early resistance movement, including the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, but it was not where Congress adopted the declaration. New York City later became the first national capital under the Constitution, while Charleston was a major Revolutionary-era port. These associations can make the locations easy to confuse.