Birth of the U.S. Army
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Created on June 14, 1775 at Independence Hall by the Second Continental Congress, the Continental Army unified a group of colonial militias into the first national military force. It became the oldest and largest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. THIS WE’LL DEFEND
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress, meeting at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, voted to bring the scattered colonial militias together into a single Continental Army. That decision created the first national military force of what would become the United States, more than a year before independence was formally declared. From it descends today's U.S. Army, the oldest and largest branch of the armed forces.
Why it matters
This act gave the American Revolution a unified fighting force and marks the birthplace of the U.S. Army, an institution older than the nation it defends.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Independence Hallnearby · 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Congress Hallnearby · Philadelphia, PA
- Old City Hallnearby · Philadelphia
- Philosophical Hallnearby · PA
- Liberty Bell Centernearby · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Portrait Gallery in the Second Banknearby · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Liberty Bellnearby · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- President's Housenearby
- Second Bank of the United Statesnearby · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Carpenters' Hall0.2 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- First Bank of the United States0.2 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Benjamin Franklin Grave0.2 mi away
Food & drink
- Red Owl Tavernnearby · 433 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Franklin Social0.1 mi away · 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters0.1 mi away
- LaScala's0.1 mi away · 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Time & Peace0.1 mi away · 36 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Don Barriga0.1 mi away · 703 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel0.1 mi away · 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel0.2 mi away · 237 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District0.2 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Morris House Hotel0.3 mi away · 225 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia0.3 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels0.3 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
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Related events
- · Founding of the Continental Army
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Independence Hall
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1948
Originally the Pennsylvania State House, this brick Georgian building hosted the Second Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. The Liberty Bell once hung in its tower.
Walnut Street Prison
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2008
Rising in Philadelphia during the Revolution, the Walnut Street Prison held a turbulent mix of humanity from 1775 to 1838 — common felons, debtors, captured British prisoners of war, and loyalist Tories alike. Its crowded cellblocks stretching from Walnut to Locust Street were the scene of repeated riots, but the institution also became a proving ground for early American ideas about punishment and reform. It was eventually superseded by the vast, radial Eastern State Penitentiary.
Haym Salomon (1740-1785)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1997
Haym Salomon arrived in America around 1772, an immigrant who threw himself into the Revolutionary cause and was twice imprisoned by the British. From Philadelphia he worked as a broker and money-lender, extending enormous credit to help keep the struggling war effort and the young government solvent. Active in the city's Jewish community, he was never repaid and died in debt.
David Salisbury Franks (c.1740-1793)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
David Salisbury Franks was among the small number of Jewish officers to serve the American cause during the Revolution, rising to major and serving as aide-de-camp to General Benedict Arnold. When Arnold's treason was exposed, suspicion inevitably fell on the men closest to him, and Franks endured investigation before being formally cleared and going on to diplomatic service. He died in Philadelphia's 1793 yellow fever epidemic and, having no coreligionists to bury him, was laid to rest at Christ Church by a Christian neighbor.