Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the date commemorated by America250.
The Second Continental Congress approved the document after debating and revising Thomas Jefferson’s draft. The adoption followed the July 2 passage of the Lee Resolution, which formally declared the colonies independent of Great Britain. The Declaration explained the reasons for that decision and presented the colonies as free and independent states.
July 4 became the familiar national anniversary because it appears on the official engrossed document and marks approval of its final wording. The parchment copy was signed mainly on August 2, however, so adoption and signing were not the same event.
The date is also distinct from the start of the Revolutionary War, which is generally associated with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. America250’s 2026 observance therefore marks 250 years since the Declaration’s adoption, not 250 years since the fighting began.