Philadelphia hosted the Constitutional Convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.
Delegates met in the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, from May to September 1787. Although the convention was initially called to revise the Articles of Confederation, the delegates ultimately drafted an entirely new framework of government.
George Washington presided over the convention, while James Madison played a major role in preparing the Virginia Plan and recording the proceedings. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, before being submitted to the states for ratification.
Philadelphia is especially important to America250 because it was also the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. The city therefore connects two central founding documents: the Declaration and the Constitution. Annapolis was the national capital under the Articles of Confederation, but it was not the site of the Constitutional Convention.