The Lee Resolution was the resolution Congress adopted on July 2, 1776, asserting the colonies’ independence in the history commemorated by America’s 250th anniversary.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed the resolution in the Second Continental Congress. Its central statement declared that the United Colonies were “free and independent States” and no longer politically connected to Great Britain. Congress approved that independence clause on July 2.
The resolution and the Declaration of Independence are closely connected but not identical. The Lee Resolution formally asserted independence, while the Declaration explained the reasons for that decision and presented them to a wider audience. Thomas Jefferson drafted most of the Declaration as a member of the Committee of Five.
The July 2 vote is historically significant, but Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because Congress approved the final text of the Declaration on that date. The resolution is named for Richard Henry Lee, who introduced it.