The Second Continental Congress adopted the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776. The resolution formally declared that the United Colonies were free and independent states separate from the British Empire.
Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed the measure on June 7, following instructions from the Fifth Virginia Convention. Congress delayed the decisive vote while delegates sought authorization and support from the colonies that had not yet committed to independence.
July 2 is sometimes overshadowed by July 4. The Declaration of Independence, which explained and announced the case for independence, was approved on July 4. John Adams even predicted that July 2 would become the great annual anniversary, but Americans instead celebrated the document’s approval date.