Philadelphia hosted the 2018 swearing-in and first organizing meeting of the semiquincentennial commission.
The commissioners were sworn in on November 16, 2018, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The location was selected to honor the building’s historic connection with both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
The meeting began the commission’s formal planning process for the 250th national birthday celebration. Philadelphia was a natural setting because the city served as a central political and military location during the American Revolutionary period.
The meeting’s location is separate from the size of the commission. The commission’s membership and organizing structure changed over time, while Independence Hall remained the symbolic site chosen for the beginning of its work. Philadelphia also remains a major center of America250 programming.