Fifty-six delegates signed the engrossed Declaration of Independence displayed at the National Archives.
The signers were delegates to the Second Continental Congress representing the thirteen colonies. John Hancock, president of Congress, has the most recognizable signature, while the remaining names are arranged by colony on the parchment document.
The number 56 does not mean that every signer was present when Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Most signatures were added on August 2, and some delegates signed later after returning to Congress or taking their seats.
The signing story is therefore more complicated than the familiar image of all delegates gathering for one ceremony on July 4. The engrossed parchment copy was prepared after the adoption vote, and the document’s signatures represent a process extending beyond that single date.