Philadelphia hosted the Second Continental Congress when it approved independence in 1776.
The congress first met in Philadelphia’s Carpenters’ Hall in 1775 and later conducted its sessions in the Pennsylvania State House, the building now known as Independence Hall. Philadelphia was a major colonial city, a center of printing and commerce, and a practical meeting place for delegates from the colonies.
The Second Continental Congress managed the revolutionary war effort, created the Continental Army, appointed George Washington as commander, authorized foreign diplomacy, and considered the question of independence. Its approval of the Declaration on July 4, 1776, made Philadelphia central to the founding story commemorated by America250.
A common mix-up is confusing the meeting location with the document’s signing location or with Boston, where the war began at Lexington and Concord. Philadelphia was the political center where Congress debated and acted.