The United States Declaration of Independence formally adopted independence from Britain on July 4, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress approved the final wording in Philadelphia. The document announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states, and it listed grievances against King George III. Congress had voted for independence on July 2, but the declaration's text was adopted on July 4.
The date became the central national anniversary because the declaration was later printed and widely distributed. The parchment engrossed copy was signed by most delegates on August 2, 1776, which is why July 4 and August 2 are sometimes confused. July 4 commemorates adoption of the document, not the date every delegate signed it.
The declaration did not immediately end the Revolutionary War. Fighting continued until the Treaty of Paris in 1783 recognized American independence. Its language about equality and natural rights later influenced abolitionist, civil-rights, and democratic movements.