The Lee Resolution declared the Thirteen Colonies free and independent states on July 2, 1776.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution formally asserted that the colonies were no longer politically connected to Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress approved it after weeks of debate and after several colonies instructed their delegates to support independence.
July 2 is sometimes overshadowed by July 4, but the two dates mark different actions. The Lee Resolution made the formal political decision for independence. Congress then edited and approved the Declaration of Independence, which explained the reasons for that decision, on July 4.
John Adams believed July 2 would become the great national anniversary because it represented the actual vote for independence. Instead, July 4 became the celebrated date because it appeared on the Declaration and was associated with the public announcement of the new political principle.