Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the Declaration of Independence commemorated by the semiquincentennial.
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, but the signing process was more complicated than the familiar date suggests. Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2 at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. Others added their names later, after returning to Congress or taking their seats.
The 56 signers represented the thirteen colonies, although not every delegate who participated in the independence debate signed. John Dickinson opposed immediate independence and did not sign, while some delegates who had voted against or abstained from the independence resolution eventually added their signatures. Eight signers joined Congress after July 4, including Matthew Thornton, who signed at the bottom because no space remained with the New Hampshire delegation.
The number 56 is sometimes confused with the 13 colonies or with the number of delegates present during the July 4 vote. It refers specifically to the delegates whose names appear on the engrossed declaration.