The Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia, beginning the anniversary commemorated by America250.
The Second Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, the building now known as Independence Hall. Congress approved the Declaration there on July 4, 1776. Philadelphia was a major political and commercial center in the colonies and served as the revolutionary government’s meeting place.
Independence Hall is also closely connected with the United States Constitution. The Constitutional Convention met in the same building in 1787, where delegates drafted the Constitution. The site therefore links both the Declaration and the later framework of the federal government.
Boston is important to the American Revolution because of events such as the Boston Massacre and the Battles of Lexington and Concord, but the Declaration was adopted in Philadelphia. Williamsburg was Virginia’s colonial capital, and New York hosted other important Revolutionary-era events.