The Declaration of Independence was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, although America250 commemorates its adoption on July 4.
Congress approved the Declaration’s final wording on July 4. It then ordered an official engrossed copy to be prepared on parchment. Most historians identify August 2 as the main signing date for that formal document.
The distinction explains why July 4 is the national anniversary while August 2 is associated with the signing. The date printed on the Declaration is July 4, and that adoption date became the basis for Independence Day.
Not every signature was necessarily added on August 2. Some delegates signed later, and the signing process has been studied because later recollections and popular artwork simplified the sequence. The famous scene of every signer gathered at once is therefore more symbolic than documentary.