For America250, Congress adopted the Lee Resolution declaring the colonies independent on July 2, 1776.
The resolution stated that the United Colonies were, and should be, “free and independent States.” Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced it in the Second Continental Congress, following instructions from Virginia’s legislature. Congress debated the proposal before approving it on July 2.
July 4 is celebrated because Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration of Independence on that date. The Declaration explained the decision already made through the Lee Resolution, so the two dates are related but not identical. John Adams even predicted that July 2 would become the great anniversary celebration.
America250 commemorates the 250th anniversary of this revolutionary sequence, with July 4, 2026, marking the adoption of the Declaration’s final text and the public anniversary tradition.