The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Congress debated and revised Thomas Jefferson’s draft during June and early July in Philadelphia. On July 4, delegates approved the final wording and authorized its publication. The document announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent states rather than territories governed by Great Britain.
July 4 is commonly called Independence Day because it commemorates adoption of the Declaration. A frequent mix-up concerns the document’s signatures: most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy on August 2, 1776, although some signed later. Congress had also approved the Lee Resolution on July 2, declaring that the colonies were free and independent states. The two dates therefore mark different milestones in the movement toward independence.