Philadelphia is associated with the first organizing meeting of the Semiquincentennial Commission in 2018.
On November 16, 2018, the commission’s members were sworn in at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and held their first organizing meeting. Congress selected the city because Independence Hall was the site of deliberations and adoption of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Philadelphia served as the meeting place, but the commission’s mission is national. Its work includes coordinating anniversary activities across the United States and encouraging participation from communities with different histories and experiences.
Philadelphia was also the largest city in colonial America and an important center during the Revolutionary era. It hosted the Continental Congresses and became the temporary capital of the United States under the Articles of Confederation and early federal government.