The Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution for independence on July 2, 1776.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee on June 7, the resolution stated that the United Colonies should be free and independent states. Congress approved the independence portion on July 2, after political instructions and debates in the colonies made a favorable vote possible.
The vote on July 2 was the formal decision to separate from Great Britain. Congress then debated and revised the Declaration of Independence, which explained the reasons for that decision and was adopted on July 4. John Adams famously believed July 2 would be remembered as the great national anniversary, but July 4 became the celebrated date because it appeared on the approved Declaration.
The Lee Resolution therefore provides an important distinction in America250 history: July 2 marks the congressional decision for independence, while July 4 marks adoption of the Declaration’s final text.