Independence Hall was called the Pennsylvania State House when America’s founding congress met there. The building in Philadelphia became a principal setting for events commemorated by America250.
The Pennsylvania State House hosted the Second Continental Congress, which adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Delegates also met there during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted the United States Constitution.
The building’s original name reflected its role as Pennsylvania’s colonial legislative seat. Its later name, Independence Hall, grew from its association with the Declaration and the nation’s founding. The Assembly Room is especially famous because it was used for both the Declaration debates and the Constitutional Convention.
Independence Hall is part of Independence National Historical Park and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is sometimes confused with Congress Hall, another Philadelphia building nearby that served as the meeting place of the Confederation Congress and the early federal Congress.