On what date did Congress order the Declaration engrossed on parchment?

Congress ordered the Declaration engrossed on parchment on July 19, 1776.

“Engrossed” meant producing a carefully handwritten, formal copy on parchment for signing. The resolution directed that the document be given the title “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America” and signed by every member of Congress.

This date is often confused with July 4, when Congress approved the Declaration’s final wording, and August 2, when most delegates signed the parchment copy. The engrossed document was probably written by congressional clerk Timothy Matlack. It is the familiar signed version now preserved at the National Archives.

The July 19 order also explains why the wording on the parchment copy differs slightly from the first printed broadsides. The word “unanimous,” for example, was added after New York’s delegation received authorization to support independence.