The Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, an important step commemorated by America250.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies were “free and independent States” and no longer politically connected to Great Britain. Congress debated the proposal for several weeks before approving it. The vote legally expressed independence before the Declaration of Independence was finalized and presented to the public.
The Declaration followed the resolution as a formal explanation of the break. Thomas Jefferson drafted most of the text, and the document was adopted on July 4. That difference explains a common historical mix-up: July 2 was the date of the independence vote, while July 4 became the celebrated national holiday.
John Adams believed July 2 would become the anniversary remembered by future generations. Instead, the date printed on the Declaration helped make July 4 the enduring public commemoration.