On what date was the engrossed parchment Declaration of Independence chiefly signed?

The engrossed parchment Declaration of Independence was chiefly signed on August 2, 1776.

Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, but the formal document had to be prepared and engrossed on parchment before it could receive the delegates’ signatures. Most historians identify August 2 as the main signing date.

The familiar image of all the founders signing together on July 4 is therefore misleading. Some delegates signed later, and the precise sequence of every signature is not fully certain. Thomas McKean, for example, is generally thought to have signed at a later stage.

The distinction matters because adoption and signing were separate congressional steps. July 4 remains Independence Day because it marks adoption of the declaration, while August 2 is associated with the signing of the famous parchment copy.