Most delegates signed the engrossed Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776, a date distinct from the July 4 adoption remembered by America250.
Congress approved the Declaration’s text on July 4, but the formal signing of the parchment occurred later. The engrossed copy was ordered after Congress approved the document, and most historians identify August 2 as the main signing date.
The exact timing has long been debated because some delegates were absent and others signed later. The signed parchment itself bears the date July 4, which helped create the widespread belief that every delegate signed on that day. The historical record supports a more gradual process.