The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 as a home for thinkers about nature, machines, industry and governance. It was founded through the outgrowth of an idea fostered by Benjamin Franklin, and it is the oldest learned society in the United States.

Take note of the statue called The Signer.  Inspired by George Clymer, Philadelphia merchant, statesman and signer of both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States, The Signer commemorates the spirit of all those who devoted their lives to the cause of American freedom.

The United States Supreme Court met here from 1791 until 1800 when the Capital of the United States was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Early members of the Supreme Court included: John Jay, Chief Justice, 1789 to 1795; Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice, 1796 to 1800; and John Marshall, Associate Justice who later became Chief Justice, 1801 to 1835.

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.

Independence Hall, the birthplace of America, was built in 1732 as the Pennsylvania State House. Within this hallowed hall, the Second Continental Congress met in May 1775, and The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Independence Hall is also where the Constitutional Convention met to draft, debate and then sign The United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.

As the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House, which is today called Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell rang many times for public announcements. It may have rung on July 8, 1776 to announce the first public reading of The Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell, which weighs about 2,000 pounds, was silenced by a crack in 1846. Its inscription reads: “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof” - Leviticus XXV, v.10, The Bible. 

Signers’ Walk pays tribute to the Founding Fathers who were members of the Second Continental Congress who risked their lives, reputations and fortunes by signing The Declaration of Independence. Each plaque along Signers’ Walk bears the Signers’ likeness, signature, occupation and Colony.  The plaques are organized by colony, from south to north, with the exception of Pennsylvania, which is at the very end at 6th and Chestnut. Highlights include the plaques of Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.

Declaration House, or Graff House as it is also referred to, is on the site where Thomas Jefferson lived when he wrote The Declaration of Independence, appealing to the natural principles of justice and equality.