On what date did the Second Continental Congress pass the Lee Resolution?

The Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776.

Proposed by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies were free and independent states, ending their political connection with Great Britain. Congress had first received the proposal on June 7, but postponed the vote while delegates sought broader colonial support.

The July 2 vote and the Declaration of Independence are related but distinct events. The resolution was the formal decision for independence; the Declaration was the public explanation of that decision. Congress approved the Declaration’s text two days later, on July 4.

John Adams famously predicted that July 2 would become the great anniversary festival. In practice, public celebrations centered on July 4 because that date appeared on the Declaration and became the established national holiday. America250 therefore commemorates a process with several important dates, not just one.