Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia Intermittingly from May 10, 1775 to March 1, 1781 The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775. This time it met in the Pennsylvania State House, or Independence Hall, as it is now called. It was in this building that the Declaration of Independence was signed. August 2, 1776, is one of the most important but least celebrated days in American history when 56 members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. When was Declaration of Independence signed? Explore dates, who wrote it, where and when it was signed, its role in American independence. Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is one of the most important landmarks in US history, being the site where the nation declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on 4 July 1776 by signing the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia. However, for it to become the Constitution of the nation, it had to be ratified by 9 of the Opening the Vault: Declarations of Independence From Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence to the Bicentennial reproductions, these documents highlight the Declaration’s enduring symbol of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of a more perfect union. Known as “the Nation’s Church,” this Old City church welcomed worshippers including Washington, Adams and Franklin, plus many signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution including Dr. Benjamin Rush, Robert Morris and Francis Hopkinson. The site has been in continuous use for 330 years, since the church’s founding in 1695. The Old City Hall is located on the Eastern side while the Congress Hall is on the Western side. The three buildings are on a street block that is referred to as the Independence Square. Philadelphia is the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking the birth of the United States of America. The signing took place in Independence Hall, which is now a popular tourist attraction in the city. Philadelphia is a city that is rich in history and culture, and it continues to be an important center of commerce, education, and innovation in the United States. Welcome to ushistory.org's Declaration of Independence website, providing a wealth of information about the Declaration, biographies of all the signers, lesson plans for introducing students to the colonial and revolutionary eras of American history, and much more. Where is the original Declaration? The original Declaration is now exhibited in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in John Hancock and Charles Thomspon were the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rest of the delegates signed the historical document over the next few weeks. He voted for independence on July 2 and signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2. Whipple served on Congress’s Marine Committee and delivered orders to John Paul Jones, assigning him On August 2, 1776, roughly a month after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, an “engrossed” version was signed at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia by most of the congressional delegates (engrossing is rendering an official document in a large clear hand). On August 2, 1776, Congress members signed the declaration. Not every man who had been present on July 4 signed the declaration on August 2. Two important officials passed up the chance to sign and others were added later. The first and largest signature was that of the president of the Congress, John Hancock. The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. Chicago: The A.N. Marquis Company, 1963. PDF files require the free Adobe Reader. More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page. This page was last reviewed on July 10, 2024. Contact us with questions or comments. Signing the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until almost a month later. The Congress did not have the approval of all 13 colonies until July 9, 1776. On July 19, the Congress ordered that an official copy of the document be created. The following year, the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, formally asserting separation from British rule and making July 4, 1776, a pivotal point in the nation’s history. By 2024, Pennsylvania’s population had grown to about 13.1 million, more than 43 times larger, according to Census Bureau estimates. Declaration of Independence, document approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. On July 2 the Congress had resolved that ‘these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.’ On July 4, 1776, they voted to approve their document, the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was signed in this room on August 2, 1776. The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their room out again in May 1787 to the men of the Constitutional Convention.
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