The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The document explained why the Thirteen Colonies considered themselves independent from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson prepared the main draft as part of a five-member committee that also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman.
A common mix-up involves July 2 and August 2. Congress voted for independence through the Lee Resolution on July 2, while the final wording of the Declaration was approved on July 4. Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy primarily on August 2, although additional signatures followed later.
The Declaration was adopted in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall. Its anniversary became the basis for Independence Day, the national holiday that America250 commemorates 250 years after the document’s adoption.