The USA250 organization lobbied to have Philadelphia host events for America's 250th anniversary.
Philadelphia has a powerful connection to the founding story. The Second Continental Congress met there, and the Declaration of Independence was adopted at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in 1776. Those associations made the city a natural candidate for major semiquincentennial programming.
The nonprofit USA250 was established in Philadelphia in 2011. Its stated purpose included lobbying for federal support of the semiquincentennial and promoting Philadelphia as a host city for anniversary events. In 2014, Philadelphia's City Council ordered a public hearing to examine the impact and feasibility of the city hosting the observances.
Philadelphia's role should not be confused with Washington, D.C., which houses major national institutions such as the National Archives, or Boston, which was central to other Revolutionary events. Philadelphia is the city most directly associated with the Continental Congress's adoption of the Declaration.