The primary signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred on August 2, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, but most historians conclude that the principal signing of the engrossed parchment took place nearly a month later. The ceremony occurred at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, later known as Independence Hall.
The distinction exists because the document carries the date July 4 and early participants later recalled a July 4 signing. Thomas McKean challenged that memory in 1796, noting that some signers were absent or had not yet joined Congress. Several delegates added their names after August 2.
John Hancock’s signature appears prominently because he was president of Congress. The names are arranged by colony or state, with Hancock listed separately. The signing date is therefore different from both the adoption date and the date on which the Declaration was first publicly printed.