Fifty-six delegates ultimately signed the Declaration of Independence linked to America250.
The signers were delegates to the Second Continental Congress representing the Thirteen Colonies. Their names appear on the engrossed parchment copy, the carefully handwritten version that is commonly reproduced today.
The adoption date and the main signing date are often confused. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, while most delegates signed the engrossed copy on August 2. Additional delegates signed later, so the 56 signatures do not all represent one identical moment.
John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, signed prominently. The signers risked charges of treason because they publicly supported separation from the British Crown.