Most delegates signed the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.
Congress approved the Declaration’s wording on July 4, but the formal parchment document was prepared afterward. On July 19, Congress ordered that the text be engrossed on parchment under the title “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”
The signing process did not necessarily involve every delegate at one ceremony. Most signatures were placed on August 2, while delegates who were absent or joined Congress later signed afterward. Historical accounts therefore distinguish adoption of the Declaration from the signing of the surviving engrossed copy.
This is one of the most persistent Bicentennial and America250-era history mix-ups. July 4 remains the adoption date and national holiday, while August 2 is the principal date associated with the signatures on the parchment document now displayed at the National Archives.