The Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies were, in effect, free and independent states. Congress approved it after months of conflict with Great Britain and debate over whether the colonies should seek independence. John Adams regarded the date as a crucial turning point in the creation of the new nation.
The Lee Resolution is often confused with the Declaration of Independence because the two events occurred only two days apart. Congress passed the resolution on July 2, then adopted the Declaration's final text on July 4. The Declaration explained the reasons for separation and presented them to a wider audience, while the Lee Resolution supplied the formal decision to separate.
America250 centers its anniversary date on July 4, the date associated with the Declaration. The July 2 vote remains an important neighboring fact in the chronology of independence.