Fifty-six delegates signed the engrossed Declaration of Independence.
The signers represented the Thirteen Colonies in the Second Continental Congress. The famous parchment copy was ordered after Congress adopted the Declaration and was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.
The number of signers is different from the number of colonies: 13 colonies were represented, but multiple delegates signed for each colony. John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, placed his large signature prominently on the document.
A common misconception is that every delegate signed on July 4. Congress adopted the Declaration on that date, but many delegates signed the engrossed parchment weeks later, and some signed afterward. The 56 signatures are one of the document’s most recognizable historical features.