Fifty-six delegates signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the document commemorated by America250.
The signers were delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the Thirteen Colonies. Their signatures appear on the engrossed parchment copy, the carefully handwritten version that became the best-known official document.
The Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, but most historians conclude that the major signing ceremony took place on August 2. Some delegates signed later because they were absent or had not yet joined Congress when the parchment was prepared.
A common misconception is that every delegate signed on Independence Day itself. The document’s adoption date and the principal signing date are different historical moments. John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, placed his prominent signature on the document.