The Declaration and the Constitution
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the city where the two most important decisions in American history were made.
In May 1775, representatives of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to decide whether to remain with Britain or fight for independence. Fighting had already begun, but many people still hoped for peace with Britain. Finally, more than a year later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was unanimously approved. The Declaration says that independence is a basic human right:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. [...]
When independence was won, the colonies came together, not as a nation, but as a confederation, or group of states. To prevent tyranny, there was no president and the central government had very little power. Each state had its own army. The states taxed each other's goods. It was almost as if they were separate countries. The result was great confusion.
In 1787, representatives from all the states met in Philadelphia to discuss the problems. They soon decided that the confederation could not work and that a new system of government was needed. For this purpose, they wrote the United States Constitution. The Constitution united the states into one country. For over two hundred years, it has provided the framework for American government.
Randee Falk: Spotlight on the USA; Oxford University Press, 1993, page 52 f.