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Glite Dictionary
Independence Hall

Independence Hall

2 3.8
A historic building in Philadelphia where leaders debated and adopted the United States founding documents
  • proper noun
  • /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəns hɔl/
translation icon : Salón de la Independencia
  • A number of those same individuals, ten years later at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, delivered the final stroke that is now the U.S. Constitution, which preserved for all time a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are free and equal.

Like I walk through Independence Hall and I think how far we've, yeah, we've strayed.

Examples

  • And when we were in Philadelphia, Deu took me to see Independence Hall.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Finally, a little after 2 p.m. that afternoon, the soldiers reached Independence Hall.

    Blog text (5)

  • The delegates who had assembled in Independence Hall were scared of what they read about the French Parliament on rampage.

    Academic text (2001)

  • History: 1) Independence Hall is an absolute CAN'T MISS.

    Blog text (5)

  • Inside the palace ruins, on the second floor, in a large room known as Independence Hall, Allende waited holding an assault rifle.

    Blog text (5)

  • Like I walk through Independence Hall and I think how far we've, yeah, we've strayed.

    Julian Dorey

  • For in Independence Hall, these two mixed-bloods "attracted so much attention and they all looked at us, so we concluded it was rather too hot in there and came out." Susan added, "We had to laugh about it."

    Academic text (2001)

  • Then they went to Independence Hall, where, in the cradle of American democracy, they ran headlong into the racism from which their schooling and academic successes could not shield them.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in Independence Hall.

  • The back of the $100 bill shows a picture of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Surface Forms

Independence Hall main

Morphology

independence + hall

The compound is compositionally built from 'independence' (state of freedom) + 'hall' (a building/meeting place), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a building associated with independence. However, the specific historical referent (the Philadelphia building where the Declaration and Constitution were debated) is encyclopedic knowledge beyond simple lexical transparency.

Etymology

Independence Hall is named for a hall, a large meeting room, where leaders in Philadelphia met to declare 'independence' and write the country's founding papers. So the name links the place to that event and today it reminds people of the country's beginning.