The Lee Resolution formally declared the Thirteen Colonies independent from Great Britain.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the resolution on July 2, 1776. It stated that the United Colonies were free and independent states and no longer part of the British Empire. The measure was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, whose proposal gave the resolution its familiar name.
The Declaration of Independence followed two days later, on July 4. The Declaration explained the reasons for separation and presented the political case to a broader audience, while the Lee Resolution supplied the formal decision to sever political ties.
The two events are commonly blended together because July 4 became the celebrated national holiday. For America250, the anniversary centers on the Declaration’s adoption, but the July 2 resolution is an essential neighboring milestone in the independence process.