Philadelphia

First Continental Congress Convenes

Fifty-six delegates from twelve colonies gathered at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia to coordinate a response to the Coercive Acts. Over seven weeks they debated, argued, and ultimately agreed on a boycott of British goods, a petition to King George III, and a plan to reconvene the following spring if grievances were not addressed. The choice of Philadelphia was strategic. It was the largest and most centrally located colonial city, accessible by road and water. Carpenters' Hall, rather than the Pennsylvania State House, was chosen partly to signal independence from the colonial government. The Congress established the precedent of intercolonial cooperation that would carry through the war.

Thomas Paine Publishes "Common Sense"

Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense" was published anonymously in Philadelphia by Robert Bell and sold for two shillings. It argued for complete independence from Britain in language that ordinary colonists could understand, rejecting monarchy as an institution and making a moral case for republican government. The pamphlet sold an estimated 100,000 copies in its first three months and perhaps 500,000 over the course of the war — staggering figures for the era. It shifted the public debate from reconciliation to independence and gave delegates in Congress political cover to vote for separation. Washington had it read aloud to his troops. It was the most influential piece of political writing in the Revolution.

Declaration of Independence Adopted

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in the Pennsylvania State House, formally severing ties with Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson had drafted the document over seventeen days in a rented room on Market Street, drawing on ideas from John Locke, George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, and his own convictions about natural law. The vote itself came on July 2. The Declaration was approved with revisions on July 4. The public reading on July 8 in the State House yard drew crowds and prompted the first ringing of the State House bell — later renamed the Liberty Bell. The document transformed a colonial rebellion into a statement of universal principles about human rights and self-governance.

First Public Reading of the Declaration

Colonel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence aloud in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House before a gathered crowd of Philadelphia residents. Church bells rang across the city, and that evening celebratory bonfires burned. The King's Arms tavern sign was torn down and thrown into one of the fires. The reading transformed the Declaration from a congressional resolution into a public event. It was the moment when independence became real for ordinary Philadelphians — not just delegates debating in a closed room, but a commitment made before the community and the world. Similar public readings followed in towns across the colonies over the next weeks.

Continental Congress Flees to York, Pennsylvania

As British forces under Howe advanced on Philadelphia after the Battle of Brandywine, the Continental Congress hastily evacuated on September 18–19, 1777, relocating first to Lancaster and then to York, Pennsylvania, where it would govern until June 1778. At York, Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation and received news of the French alliance. The evacuation demonstrated the fragility of the revolutionary government while also proving its resilience.

British Occupation of Philadelphia Begins

General Howe's British army entered Philadelphia after defeating Washington at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11 and outmaneuvering him at the Schuylkill River crossings. Congress had already fled to Lancaster and then York. Many patriot civilians evacuated, while Loyalist sympathizers and Quaker neutrals remained. The nine-month occupation was militarily comfortable for the British but strategically futile. Howe's officers enjoyed a social season of balls and parties — the notorious Meschianza farewell gala for Howe became a symbol of British decadence. Meanwhile, the Continental Army endured Valley Forge. When the British evacuated in June 1778, following France's entry into the war, they had gained nothing lasting from holding the city.

Siege of Fort Mifflin

Continental forces held Fort Mifflin on Mud Island in the Delaware River for six weeks against devastating British naval bombardment. The garrison's defense blocked the British from resupplying their occupation force in Philadelphia by water, forcing them to rely on overland supply lines that were vulnerable to American raids. The bombardment of November 10-15 was among the most intense of the entire war. The garrison finally evacuated on the night of November 15 after the fort was reduced to rubble. The defenders' stand bought critical time for the Continental Army and demonstrated a willingness to endure extreme conditions that would define the coming winter at Valley Forge.

General Howe Winters in Philadelphia, Army at Valley Forge

During the winter of 1777–78, British General William Howe and his officer corps enjoyed Philadelphia's comforts — theater, banquets, and the famous Mischianza gala in May 1778 — while Washington's army starved and froze twenty miles away at Valley Forge. The contrast became a symbol of British strategic complacency: holding the American capital did not break American will. Howe was recalled to London in spring 1778, replaced by Henry Clinton, who evacuated the city in June.

British Evacuate Philadelphia

The British army under General Clinton evacuated Philadelphia and marched overland to New York, abandoning the city they had held for nine months. The withdrawal was prompted by France's entry into the war, which made the British position in Philadelphia strategically untenable — a French fleet could trap them in the Delaware. Washington's army pursued Clinton across New Jersey, leading to the Battle of Monmouth on June 28. Philadelphia's patriots returned to a city that had been largely preserved but was politically transformed. The experience of occupation — and the collaboration of some residents with the British — left deep scars that shaped Philadelphia's politics for years.

Constitutional Convention

Delegates from twelve states convened in the Pennsylvania State House — the same room where independence had been declared eleven years earlier — to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they wrote an entirely new Constitution. The convention met in secret for nearly four months, debating representation, executive power, slavery, and federalism. The Philadelphia setting mattered. The city offered the infrastructure, printing presses, and intellectual community to support the work. Franklin, at 81, served as host and mediator. The document they produced was a compromise in every sense, but it created a framework of government that directly addressed the failures exposed by the Revolution and its aftermath.