Delegates from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s 10 colonial counties met in Carpenters’ Hall in June 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain and authorize the writing of the new state’s first constitution. Adopted that September, the 1776 Pennsylvania constitution was radically democratic for its day. It included a Bill of Rights 15 years before similar rights were acknowledged in the U.S. Constitution. Stop by Carpenters’ Hall for a free public reading of the 1776 Pennsylvania Bill of Rights.

We’re honored to have three Pennsylvania judges as readers: Hon. Wendi D. Barish, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; Hon. Paula Patrick, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; and Hon. Jordan Yeager, Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. Presented in partnership with the "Revolutionary Philadelphia: 1776” program of the Museum of the American Revolution. 

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