Twelve colonies approved the Lee Resolution declaring independence on July 2, 1776.
The vote occurred in the Second Continental Congress after weeks of debate and political maneuvering. Delegates from twelve colonies supported independence, while New York abstained because its delegates had not yet received instructions authorizing that vote.
New York’s provincial congress later voted on July 9 to join the other colonies in supporting independence. This is why accounts of the July 2 vote commonly describe it as approval by twelve of the thirteen colonies, even though the united group soon became known as the thirteen states.
The July 2 vote and the July 4 approval of the Declaration are related but distinct events. The Lee Resolution declared the colonies independent; the Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for that decision. John Adams believed July 2 would become the principal anniversary, but Americans instead adopted July 4 as the traditional Independence Day.