The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776.
The vote approved the Lee Resolution, introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee. It stated that the colonies were free and independent states and no longer politically connected to Great Britain. Congress then spent two more days reviewing and editing the Declaration of Independence before adopting its final text on July 4.
John Adams believed July 2 would become the nation’s celebrated anniversary because it was the date of the decisive independence vote. Instead, July 4 became the public holiday because it was the date printed on the Declaration and associated with the document’s final approval.
The vote was not necessarily unanimous in its first form. Delegates from several colonies initially lacked authorization or were instructed to wait, but further debates and instructions allowed the colonies to present a united decision. The resolution created the political break; the Declaration explained it.