The United States Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Congress voted for independence on July 2, when it approved the Lee Resolution declaring the Thirteen Colonies free from British rule. The Declaration then provided a public explanation of that decision, listing grievances against King George III and presenting political arguments for independence.
The wording was debated and edited in Congress before the final text was approved. Although July 4 became the celebrated date, the parchment engrossed copy was signed later, beginning on August 2, 1776, with additional signatures added afterward. This distinction explains why adoption and signing are often confused.
The first printed copies, known as Dunlap broadsides, were produced soon after adoption and distributed across the colonies. The document’s opening principles and its statement that the colonies were free and independent states became central to later American national identity.