Congress returns to Philadelphia to mark 250 years since America’s first vote for independence

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Three dozen members of Congress from around the country convened in Philadelphia on Thursday for a ceremonial commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the original vote for independence.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who organized the event, told WHYY News that it was “hard to put into words” what it meant to hold a session where the Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776, to break from Great Britain.

“This is a very special day,” he said. “And I think one day when I leave politics and leave Congress, this will probably be one of my proudest moments.”

While Americans traditionally celebrate Independence Day on July 4, delegates of the Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution two days earlier, formally declaring the colonies independent from Great Britain. That vote took place in the Pennsylvania State House, which is now Independence Hall. After the Revolutionary War, the new U.S. Congress met in the newly built Congress Hall from 1790 to 1800, while Philadelphia served as the nation’s temporary capital.

In his opening remarks, Boyle recounted the original event, saying that it was “uncertain” how the vote on independence would go.

“What they did here was truly remarkable,” the Philadelphia Democrat said. “The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were signing their death warrants.”

A bipartisan affair, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre County, presided over the session. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks County, gave the invocation. After the event, Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican who co-chairs the House Problem Solvers Caucus, told WHYY News that the event demonstrated that unity was possible in Washington.

“The overwhelming majority of people in our country want government to work the same way their personal relationships do,” Fitzpatrick said. “They want us to conduct ourselves the same way we treat our spouses and our partners. You see the world through the other’s eyes. You don’t allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also thanked the current Congress for continuing the work of the Continental Congress, while calling for their unity.

“It is my hope that this body, that the Congress of the United States, takes inspiration from the example set by our founders to debate in earnest, to work through our differences, to always remember that we are united as Americans,” he said.

Also present was House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who appeared to use the ceremony as an opportunity to make a subtle dig at the Trump administration when he said that the signatories sought independence from the “tyrannical reign of King George III.” They accused the British king of “obstructing the administration of justice, cutting off trade with the rest of the world, sending officers to harass the people, instructing efforts to naturalize citizens and trying to render the military superior to civilian authority.”

“There are no kings in the United States of America,” he concluded. “We work exclusively for the American people.”

The program concluded with the signing of a “congressional record,” in Independence Hall, which noted that Philadelphia “has become known as the nation’s birthplace for the critical role it played in the founding of the United States.”

“The Members of Congress present on this day came together in a spirit of unity and celebration and resolved to use this extraordinary occasion to reflect on the best of our nation’s founding ideals,” it read.

The event was not open to the public and congressional-level security was implemented with a metal detector and baggage scanner on site and a significant contingent of U.S. Capital Police keeping guard.

Boyle, who began organizing the event two years ago, said he wanted to bring Congress back to Philadelphia to recognize the city’s central role in the nation’s founding. He said he also hopes the gathering provided a rare opportunity for lawmakers from both parties to take a step out of the hyperpartisan environment of Washington, D.C., and reflect on the country’s shared history.

“In the end, this is bigger than party,” he told WHYY News before the event. “This is about the country.”

Other members from the area included Reps. Dwight Evans, Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Donald Norcross and Sarah McBride. Other members visited from New York, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, North Carolina and California. Senator Andy Kim, D-N.J., also joined.

The event is one of several major semiquincentennial commemorations taking place in Philadelphia as the city prepares to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.