Independence Hall hosted the Second Continental Congress when it adopted the Declaration of Independence.
The building stood at the center of Pennsylvania’s colonial government complex and was originally known as the Pennsylvania State House. The Continental Congress used its Assembly Room for major debates during the American Revolution.
Congress approved the Declaration of Independence there on July 4, 1776. The same building later hosted the Constitutional Convention in 1787, making it important to both the independence movement and the creation of the United States Constitution.
The name “Independence Hall” became common after the American Revolution. It is part of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia and is one of the most prominent historic sites associated with America250. Carpenters’ Hall, another Philadelphia meeting place, hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774, which is why the two buildings are sometimes confused.