The Declaration of Independence was debated and adopted in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
The building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House. It became the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress during the American Revolution, and delegates debated independence there in 1776. The Declaration was adopted in the Assembly Room on July 4.
The building was known as the Pennsylvania State House during the revolutionary period. The name Independence Hall became associated with it later because of its connection to the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. The Constitution was also drafted and signed there in 1787.
Independence Hall stands in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. It is often linked with the Liberty Bell, which was housed in the same building complex for much of its early history. The Liberty Bell itself was not the object used to announce the Declaration’s adoption.