Independence Hall, then called the Pennsylvania State House, hosted the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
The building stands in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served as the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress in 1776. Congress approved the Declaration there on July 4, making the site central to the anniversary commemorated by America250.
The building had been completed in 1753 as Pennsylvania’s colonial statehouse. It later became known as Independence Hall because of its association with the Declaration and other founding-era events.
Independence Hall was also used by the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted the United States Constitution. That later event can cause confusion: the Declaration was adopted there in 1776, while the Constitution was drafted there eleven years later. The building is part of Independence National Historical Park and is recognized as a World Heritage Site.