The number of delegates who signed the United States Declaration of Independence was 56.
The Declaration was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The delegates represented the 13 colonies, which declared themselves free and independent states. Although the document is dated July 4, most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, with additional signatures added later.
The signers included well-known figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Hancock. They were not all present at every stage of the document’s preparation, and the signing was not a single perfectly timed ceremony involving every delegate.
A common mix-up is confusing the 56 signers with the 13 colonies or the 12 colonies that initially voted for independence. The Declaration’s famous parchment is preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.