Fifty-six delegates’ signatures appear on the Declaration of Independence, a central document of America250.
The signers represented the thirteen colonies in the Second Continental Congress. Their names appear on the engrossed parchment copy, including the highly prominent signature of John Hancock, the Congress president.
The number 56 refers to signatures, not the number of colonies or the number of delegates present at every stage of the document’s approval. Delegates were not all in Philadelphia at the same time, and some signed after the main signing ceremony.
Most signatures were added on August 2, 1776, although additional delegates signed later. The Declaration had already been adopted on July 4, so adoption and signing were separate stages in the document’s history.