The Second Continental Congress adopted the document commemorated by America250 in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia served as the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress when delegates debated and adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The city was one of British North America’s largest and most important political and commercial centers.
The Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The building later became one of the best-known historic sites associated with the founding of the United States and the America250 story.
Philadelphia is sometimes confused with Boston because Boston was a major center of resistance and the location of events such as the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party. New York City also played an important Revolutionary War role, but it was not the city where Congress adopted the Declaration. Washington, D.C., did not yet exist in 1776.