The United States adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress approved the document in Philadelphia after debating a draft prepared by the Committee of Five. The date became the legal and symbolic foundation for the United States’ annual Independence Day, and America250 marks 250 years from that adoption.
July 4 is sometimes confused with July 2, when Congress passed the Lee Resolution declaring that the colonies were free and independent states. It is also distinct from August 2, the date on which most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy.
The Declaration announced separation from Great Britain and explained the political principles behind independence. Its opening arguments about equality, rights, and government have given the document influence far beyond the American Revolution.