The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia for the America250 founding milestone.
Delegates met at the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. Philadelphia was the largest city in the North American colonies and an important center of printing, trade, and political debate. The Continental Congress had already gathered there in 1774 and 1775 before the independence decision.
The Declaration was approved in the Pennsylvania State House on July 4, 1776. The building later became closely associated with the founding of the United States, although the delegates also worked in other Philadelphia locations during the drafting and printing process.
Philadelphia’s role is sometimes confused with Boston’s role in the early resistance to British rule. Boston was central to events such as the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, but the Declaration itself was adopted in Philadelphia. The engrossed parchment copy is now displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.