The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The vote followed weeks of debate over Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence and Thomas Jefferson’s draft declaration. Congress approved the document unanimously, although New York’s delegates initially abstained because they lacked authorization from their colony. The declaration announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states.
July 4 marks adoption, not necessarily the date when every delegate signed the engrossed parchment. Most historians place the main signing on August 2, 1776, while some delegates signed later. The document itself is dated July 4, which helped establish the date as the United States’ national Independence Day.
The anniversary celebrated by America250 falls 250 years after this 1776 adoption. The Declaration was both a political announcement and an explanation of why the colonies believed separation from Great Britain was justified.