National Park Service's World Heritage Sites: Independence National Historic Park, Pennsylvania

Independence Hall in Philadelphia can be considered the birthplace of the United States of America, as it was here that the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, the Articles of Confederation uniting the thirteen (13) colonies were ratified in 1781 and the Constitution setting out the nation's basic laws was adopted in 1787. The Assembly of the Commonwealth (colony) of Pennsylvania had its Speaker, Andrew Hamilton, design the building for its state house. Once the grandest public building in the British North American colonies, Independence Hall today is the international symbol of the radical documents that originated there and which have influenced the constitutions of many democratic nations throughout the world. Inscribed in 1979 as a Cultural site, under Criteria C (vi).

Independence Hall, Pennsylvania