Twelve colonies voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The New York delegation abstained because it had not yet received authorization from its colonial government to vote for independence. New York later joined the other colonies in supporting the Declaration after receiving approval. The document therefore represented all thirteen colonies, even though the July 4 vote was not a thirteen-colony vote.
The Second Continental Congress had debated independence for weeks. On July 2, Congress approved the Lee Resolution, which declared that the United Colonies should be free and independent states. On July 4, delegates approved the edited Declaration, which justified the political separation and stated the principles behind it.
The distinction between the vote and the later signing often causes confusion. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the engrossed parchment, primarily on August 2. The signing represented the political commitment of the delegates, while the July 4 action was Congress's formal adoption of the text.