The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia when it declared independence.
Philadelphia was the political center of the revolutionary movement and the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress. The delegates gathered there in 1775 and 1776 while coordinating the colonies’ response to the conflict with Great Britain.
On July 2, 1776, Congress passed the Lee Resolution, which declared the United Colonies independent. The Declaration of Independence then explained and justified that decision; it was proclaimed on July 4. Both steps took place within the same Philadelphia-centered congressional process.
The city remains closely associated with America250 because it contains Independence Hall, where the Declaration and later the United States Constitution were debated. Philadelphia also hosted major earlier national anniversary observances, including the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and the Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926.