The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia during the American Revolutionary War. On July 2, it approved the Lee Resolution declaring that the Thirteen Colonies were free and independent states. Congress then edited and approved the formal Declaration explaining that decision on July 4.
The date became the basis for Independence Day, the United States national holiday celebrated each year. The Declaration was drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, working with a Committee of Five that also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.
A common mix-up concerns adoption and signing. The document bears the date July 4, but most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, with some signatures added later. America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 marks 250 years since the Declaration’s adoption.