Last updated: August 16, 2021
Place
Assembly Room of Independence Hall
NPS photo
Quick Facts
Location:
First floor of Independence Hall, east side
Significance:
The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both signed here.
Designation:
National Historical Park
Amenities
5 listed
Assistive Listening Systems, Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Wheelchair Accessible
The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both signed in this room. Later, the room became a shrine to the founding of the nation, proudly displaying the Liberty Bell and original paintings of the Founding Fathers. That was the scene when President-elect Abraham Lincoln visited the Assembly Room and praised the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Following his assassination, Lincoln's body lay in repose here for two days. Visitors today can ponder their own role in the on-going experiment in self-government.
The Second Continental Congress
The Pennsylvania legislature loaned the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House out to the men of the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. Meeting just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord, the men prepared for war. They approved the nomination of George Washington as Commander in Chief of the newly created army, and they approved the resolution creating the Marine Corps. They also pursued peace, drafting the Olive Branch Petition. King George III never responded to that petition and talk began to grow of seeking independence. On July 2, 1776, the men voted to approve the resolution for independence. 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 Constitutional Convention
The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their room out again in May 1787 to the men of the Constitutional Convention. The nation's first framework of government, the Articles of Confederation, had proven unsatisfactory. In a climate of great concern, delegates arrived in Philadelphia to address the inadequacies of the Articles. In four months, they created the U.S. Constitution, a feat George Washington called "little short of a miracle". The debates of the Constitutional or Federal Convention were heated at times, over issues like the power balance between large states and small states as well as the slave trade. During the debates, Pennsylvania delegate and elder statesman Benjamin Franklin looked at the chair where Washington was seated as the presiding officer. Carved into that chair is a sun. As the men signed the Constitution, Franklin said that he had the great happiness to know it was a rising and not a setting sun.
Transition to Shrine
The state capital left Philadelphia in 1799, moving on to Lancaster and then Harrisburg. In 1818, the state sold this building to the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphians welcomed the war hero Marquis de Lafayette to the Assembly Room in 1824 during his triumphant return visit to America. The committee preparing for his visit first referred to the Assembly Room as "the hall of Independence". It would be decades before the entire building became known by that name. The room took on the appearance of a shrine with the 1854-55 redecoration. The Nativists rose to power at that time, a political party that used Revolutionary era rhetoric and symbols in their campaign to exclude immigrants from holding public office. President-elect Abraham Lincoln stepped into this shrine-like room in 1861 as he journeyed to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. Standing in the Assembly Room, he said that he would rather be "assassinated on the spot" than give up the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. After his assassination in the nation's capital in 1865, his body returned to the Assembly Room for two days. Upwards of 85,000 mourners passed by the casket.
The Second Continental Congress
The Pennsylvania legislature loaned the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House out to the men of the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. Meeting just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord, the men prepared for war. They approved the nomination of George Washington as Commander in Chief of the newly created army, and they approved the resolution creating the Marine Corps. They also pursued peace, drafting the Olive Branch Petition. King George III never responded to that petition and talk began to grow of seeking independence. On July 2, 1776, the men voted to approve the resolution for independence. 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 Constitutional Convention
The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their room out again in May 1787 to the men of the Constitutional Convention. The nation's first framework of government, the Articles of Confederation, had proven unsatisfactory. In a climate of great concern, delegates arrived in Philadelphia to address the inadequacies of the Articles. In four months, they created the U.S. Constitution, a feat George Washington called "little short of a miracle". The debates of the Constitutional or Federal Convention were heated at times, over issues like the power balance between large states and small states as well as the slave trade. During the debates, Pennsylvania delegate and elder statesman Benjamin Franklin looked at the chair where Washington was seated as the presiding officer. Carved into that chair is a sun. As the men signed the Constitution, Franklin said that he had the great happiness to know it was a rising and not a setting sun.
Transition to Shrine
The state capital left Philadelphia in 1799, moving on to Lancaster and then Harrisburg. In 1818, the state sold this building to the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphians welcomed the war hero Marquis de Lafayette to the Assembly Room in 1824 during his triumphant return visit to America. The committee preparing for his visit first referred to the Assembly Room as "the hall of Independence". It would be decades before the entire building became known by that name. The room took on the appearance of a shrine with the 1854-55 redecoration. The Nativists rose to power at that time, a political party that used Revolutionary era rhetoric and symbols in their campaign to exclude immigrants from holding public office. President-elect Abraham Lincoln stepped into this shrine-like room in 1861 as he journeyed to Washington D.C. for his inauguration. Standing in the Assembly Room, he said that he would rather be "assassinated on the spot" than give up the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. After his assassination in the nation's capital in 1865, his body returned to the Assembly Room for two days. Upwards of 85,000 mourners passed by the casket.