In the history marked by America250, the Lee Resolution formally declared the colonies independent from Great Britain.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced the resolution in the Second Continental Congress on June 7, 1776. Its central language stated that the colonies were free and independent states and that political connection with Great Britain should be dissolved. Congress adopted the independence portion on July 2, 1776.
The Declaration of Independence followed on July 4. The two decisions are related but not identical: the Lee Resolution was the formal congressional act of separation, while the Declaration explained the reasons and principles behind that act. This distinction is why historians sometimes describe July 2 as the legal independence date and July 4 as the date the declaration was adopted.
The resolution was named for Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia delegate and prominent advocate of independence. America250 focuses on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, but the Lee Resolution provides an important neighboring fact about the congressional decision that preceded it.