Congress adopted the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia while the Revolutionary War was already underway, and it formally approved the document explaining why the colonies were separating from Great Britain.
The date followed the Lee Resolution, adopted on July 2, which declared that the colonies were free and independent states. Congress then debated and revised Thomas Jefferson’s draft before approving the final wording on July 4. The document listed grievances against King George III and presented natural-rights arguments for independence.
July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day, although the parchment engrossed copy was signed primarily on August 2, 1776. The Declaration’s famous opening principles and its list of grievances made it both a statement of separation and a foundational political text.