Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the United States Declaration of Independence, whose adoption is marked by America250.
The signers were delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the Thirteen Colonies. Although Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, most historians conclude that the parchment engrossed copy was signed primarily on August 2, with some signatures added later.
The 56 signers included prominent figures such as John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. Their names were not immediately made public on the first printed version. A later publication known as the Goddard Broadside listed the names of the signers.
The number 56 is different from the number 13, which refers to the colonies and the states proclaimed in the Declaration. It is also different from the number of delegates present on any particular day during the lengthy congressional process.