The Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, authorizing American independence.
The resolution declared that the United Colonies were free and independent states. It was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and passed while Congress was meeting in Philadelphia.
July 4 is the date traditionally celebrated because Congress adopted and proclaimed the Declaration of Independence on that day. The Declaration explained the reasons for separation, while the Lee Resolution supplied the formal decision to declare independence. The two dates are therefore closely connected but not identical.
This distinction is especially relevant to America250, whose 2026 observances centered on the 250th anniversary of independence and the Declaration. A frequent mistake is to treat July 2 and July 4 as interchangeable. July 2 marked the congressional independence decision; July 4 marked adoption of the Declaration’s final text and the date used for the national anniversary.