Maybe it was the private nighttime visit to Independence National Historical Park, where the Democrats’ top national official got to touch the Liberty Bell.

Whatever it was that sealed the deal, Democrats on Thursday chose Philadelphia for their 2016 national convention, looking ahead to Independence Hall and other symbols of America’s birth bathing their presidential nominee in a patriotic aura.

“In addition to their commitment to a seamless and safe convention, Philadelphia’s deep-rooted place in American history provides a perfect setting for this special gathering,” Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, who had caressed the Liberty Bell, said in her announcement.

Philadelphia, which beat out New York and Columbus, Ohio, was widely seen as the favorite throughout the selection process, in part because it was a safe pick both financially and politically. It had the individual and corporate backing to fund a convention — it hosted the Republicans in 2000 — and it offered a less risky backdrop than New York, a liberal epicenter and home to a polarizing mayor, Bill de Blasio.