The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, the date commemorated by America250.
The Second Continental Congress approved the final wording in Philadelphia after revising a draft prepared primarily by Thomas Jefferson. The document announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent states rather than colonies subject to Great Britain.
The date is often confused with July 2, when Congress passed the resolution declaring independence. August 2 is also historically important because many delegates signed the engrossed parchment on that date, although the document had already been adopted and publicly printed in July.
The Declaration’s anniversary became the legal and cultural basis for Independence Day. America250 marks 250 years from this 1776 milestone, with national observances centered on July 4, 2026.