On what date was the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence primarily signed?

The parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence was primarily signed on August 2, 1776.

Congress approved the Declaration’s wording on July 4, but the physical signing of the engrossed parchment copy happened later. Most historians identify August 2 as the principal signing date, when the document was available for delegates to sign at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.

The dates are often confused because the parchment itself is dated July 4 and later recollections by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin described a July 4 signing. Evidence from congressional records and the attendance of individual delegates led historians to distinguish adoption from signing.

Not every signature necessarily dates from August 2. Some delegates were absent and added their names later. The finished document contains 56 signatures and is now preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where it is displayed with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.