As America250 commemorates 1776, which founding document announced the American colonies’ separation from Great Britain?

The Declaration of Independence announced the American colonies’ separation from Great Britain.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Its purpose was to explain why the thirteen colonies considered independence necessary and justified. The declaration’s best-known section presents principles about equality, rights, and government by consent.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the principal text as part of a five-member committee that also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Congress revised the draft before adopting it. The famous parchment version was engrossed by Timothy Matlack and later signed by 56 delegates.

A common mix-up is treating July 4 as the date every delegate signed the parchment. Congress adopted the declaration on July 4, but the formal signing ceremony largely took place on August 2, 1776. America250’s 2026 observances mark 250 years since the declaration’s adoption.