Conceived In Crisis: Pennsylvania in 1776
The Pennsylvania Provincial Conference was held June 18–25, 1776, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. Delegates from the 10 Pennsylvania counties then in existence and the City of Philadelphia agreed to:
Declare Pennsylvania's independence from the British Empire, thus establishing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Mobilize the Pennsylvania militia for the American Revolutionary War
Organize elections to select delegates to a state constitutional convention, which framed the influential Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Conference had a profound impact on American public opinion and facilitated the passing of the Declaration of Independence only a few days later. The 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution was radically innovative for its time, including a Declaration of Rights that predated the Bill of Rights and a provision that voters did not need to own property. Scholar and author of Conceived in Crisis: The Revolutionary Creation of an American State, Christopher Pearl, will lead a discussion on the radical birth of the Keystone State.
A number of original manuscripts from the Provincial Conference will be on view in a pop-up display just for the evening. Also, program attendees will have the opportunity to view the exhibit Paths To Independence, 1765-1787 includes significant founding documents such as the only known printer’s proof of the Declaration of Independence.
About the Speaker
Chris Pearl is Professor and Chair of History at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Conceived in Crisis: The Revolutionary Creation of an American State (University of Virginia Press, 2020) and Declarations of Independence: Indigenous Resilience, Colonial Rivalries, and the Cost of Revolution (University of Virginia Press, 2024), and co-editor, with Douglas Bradburn, of From Independence to the U.S. Constitution: Reconsidering the Critical Period of American History (University of Virginia Press, 2022).
