Most delegates signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776, after its July 4 adoption.
America250 centers on the 250th anniversary of the declaration’s adoption, but the physical signing happened later. Congress approved the declaration on July 4, then ordered an official engrossed copy on parchment.
On August 2, most members of the Second Continental Congress signed that parchment at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall. Additional signatures were added later by delegates who had not been present or were not yet ready to sign.
The date is frequently mistaken for July 4 because Independence Day commemorates the declaration’s adoption. Another important date is July 2, when Congress voted for independence in principle. These were related but distinct stages in the process of declaring and formalizing independence.