What was the 1776 name of the Philadelphia building now called Independence Hall?

The Philadelphia building now called Independence Hall was called the Pennsylvania State House in 1776.

The Second Continental Congress met there when it debated and approved the Declaration of Independence. The Pennsylvania State House was a colonial government building, and its name reflected its role as the seat of Pennsylvania’s assembly and other provincial institutions.

The building acquired the name Independence Hall later because of its association with the Declaration and the American founding. It also hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where delegates drafted the United States Constitution.

A common mix-up is to treat Independence Hall as the name used during the Declaration debates. That name is historically familiar and correct for the landmark today, but Pennsylvania State House is the period name associated with the 1776 setting. The building stands in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.