Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, before the July 4 anniversary commemorated by America250.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies should be free and independent states. It formally severed the colonies’ political connection with Great Britain and supplied the decision that the Declaration would explain.
The distinction between July 2 and July 4 is one of the most important date details in the founding story. July 2 was the vote for independence; July 4 was the date Congress approved the wording of the Declaration of Independence and sent it for printing.
John Adams believed July 2 would become the great annual holiday. Instead, the date printed on the Declaration and associated with its public announcement became the traditional Independence Day, which is why America250 centers on July 4.