The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress approved the final text in Philadelphia after debating and editing Thomas Jefferson’s draft. The date became the basis for Independence Day and, 250 years later, for the America250 commemoration in 2026.
July 4 is often confused with July 2, when Congress adopted the Lee Resolution declaring the colonies independent, and August 2, when most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy. These were separate stages in the document’s creation.
The Declaration formally explained why the Thirteen Colonies were separating from Great Britain. Its adoption did not immediately end the Revolutionary War, which continued until the Treaty of Paris in 1783.