Congress Hall

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George Washington - One of America's Founding Fathers
John Adams - One of America's Founding Fathers

Congress Hall

Constructed between 1787 and 1789 as the Philadelphia County Court House, Congress Hall served as the United States Capitol, the meeting place of the United States Congress, from 1790 to 1800, when Philadelphia was the Capital of the United States.

The House of Representatives met on the main floor, while the Senate assembled upstairs. From its earliest days the Senate thus came to be referred to as the "upper chamber." Among the historic events that took place here were the inaugurations of President George Washington (his second) and President John Adams. The inauguration of John Adams was quite significant since it marked the first ever peaceful transition of power (without any violence or bloodshed) in a modern democracy.

It was on December 15, 1791, while the U.S. Congress was assembled at Congress Hall that the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States were ratified. These Ten Amendments, which we call the “Bill of Rights” is a very important document, which today guarantees all Americans many personal freedoms and limits the power of the United States government. For example, the Bill of Rights included the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, etc.