Independence Hall
The Declaration of Independence was adopted and the Constitution of the
United States of America framed in this fine early 18th-century building
in Philadelphia. These events, which took place respectively in 1776
and 1787, were conceived in a national context, but the universal
principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these two documents
have had a profound impact on lawmakers and political thinkers around
the world. They became the models for similar charters of other nations,
and may be considered to have heralded the modern era of government.
Independence Hall was designed by attorney Andrew Hamilton in
collaboration with master builder Edmund Woolley to house the Assembly
of the Commonwealth (colony) of Pennsylvania. Begun in 1732 and finished
in 1753, it is a dignified brick structure with a wooden steeple that
once held the Liberty Bell.
The building has undergone many
restorations, notably by architect John Haviland in the 1830s and under
the direction of the National Park Service beginning in the 1950s,
returning it to its appearance during the years when the new country’s
Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and signed. In
the Assembly Room, the momentous events that occurred there are
explained and their international impact as well as the spread of
democracy are discussed.