Pennsylvania played a major role in the Revolutionary War, continuing its leadership in the Colonial period. Benjamin Franklin, the colonial agent in Great Britain, as early as 1766 opposed the Stamp Act before the House of Commons. Following the outbreak of the war, Pennsylvania troops took part in many campaigns. The state created its own navy in 1775 to defend its shores. The battles of Brandywine, Fort Mifflin, Germantown, and Paoli were fought within the state. Valley Forge is located 25 miles west of Philadelphia. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 drew up the U.S. Constitution, which Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify.