 | |
| Date | June 18–25, 1776 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Carpenters' Hall |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°56′53″N 75°08′50″W / 39.94814°N 75.14722°W |
| Type | Provincial Congress |
| Cause | Outbreak of the American Revolutionary War |
| Outcome | Pennsylvania declared its independence from Great Britain Procedure set for electing delegates to state constitutional convention |
The Pennsylvania Provincial Conference, officially the Provincial Conference of Committees of the Province of Pennsylvania, was a Provincial Congress held June 18–25, 1776 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. The 97 delegates in attendance (out of 103 appointed) involved themselves in issues relating to declaring Pennsylvania's support for independence and to planning for a subsequent gathering that would develop Pennsylvania's new Frame of Government. They achieved these objectives by formally:
- Declaring Pennsylvania's independence from the British Empire, thus birthing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
- Mobilizing the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War,
- Organizing elections to select delegates to a constitutional convention – which framed the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776.[1]
As the last holdout among the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence, the conference's actions had a profound impact on American public opinion and facilitated the issuing of the Declaration of Independence shortly afterward by the Continental Congress.[1][2]