What building, now called Independence Hall, hosted Congress when it adopted the 1776 Declaration?

The Pennsylvania State House hosted Congress when it adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The building in Philadelphia was completed in 1753 as the seat of Pennsylvania’s colonial government. The Second Continental Congress used it during the Revolutionary War, and the Declaration was debated and adopted there in 1776. The building later became widely known as Independence Hall because of its association with American independence.

Independence Hall is also where delegates met during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The same landmark is therefore linked to both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, making it one of the most important sites in the America250 story.

Federal Hall in New York City is a different building associated with the early national government. Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774, which is another reason the colonial meeting places can be confused.