Philadelphia hosted the 1787 Constitutional Convention, an important chapter in the founding story remembered by America250.
Delegates met from May 25 to September 17, 1787, at the Pennsylvania State House, the same building where the Declaration of Independence had been adopted. The convention was initially called to revise the Articles of Confederation, the first governing framework of the United States.
Instead, delegates created an entirely new Constitution. George Washington presided over the convention, while James Madison played a major role in preparing proposals and recording debates. The delegates negotiated difficult issues involving representation, taxation, executive power, and slavery.
The convention’s work did not itself put the Constitution into effect. The document required ratification by conventions in at least nine states, which occurred in 1788. The new federal government began operating in 1789. Philadelphia’s repeated role in these events explains why the city is central to both the 1776 independence anniversary and the later constitutional history associated with America250.