The Second Continental Congress approved the Lee Resolution for independence on July 2, 1776, a milestone remembered in the history celebrated by America250.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced the resolution, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were free and independent states and no longer politically connected to Great Britain. Congress debated the proposal for several weeks while delegates sought authorization from their colonial governments.
The resolution passed on July 2, but the Declaration of Independence was approved two days later, on July 4. The Declaration explained the reasons for independence and became the document whose anniversary is observed as Independence Day. This distinction is a common source of confusion: July 2 was the formal independence vote, while July 4 became the public anniversary date.
John Adams predicted that July 2 would become the great annual celebration, but later generations centered their celebrations on July 4. America250 follows that established Independence Day tradition while commemorating the larger sequence of events in 1776.