The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia in 1787, a key milestone before America250.
Delegates met at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, during the Constitutional Convention. The convention began in May 1787 and produced a new framework of government to replace the Articles of Confederation, which had created a weaker national authority after independence.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates. It established the federal government’s main institutions, including Congress, the presidency, and the federal judiciary, and divided powers between the national government and the states.
Philadelphia was also central to the earlier independence movement. The Second Continental Congress met there when it adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the city served as the national capital under the early federal government. Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital later, in 1800.