Where did the Second Continental Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence, later becoming Independence Hall?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania State House.

The building stood in Philadelphia and was later renamed Independence Hall. The Continental Congress met there while representatives debated whether the colonies should separate from Great Britain and how that decision should be explained to the world.

The site became one of the most important places in United States history. Congress approved the Declaration there on July 4, 1776, and delegates later signed the engrossed parchment copy primarily on August 2. Independence Hall is now part of Independence National Historical Park.

The building is sometimes confused with Carpenters’ Hall, another Philadelphia meeting place used by the First Continental Congress in 1774. The Declaration’s adoption, however, is specifically associated with the Pennsylvania State House. Its later name reflects the historic importance of the 1776 proceedings and the document produced there.