What phrase did the Lee Resolution declare the American colonies to be on July 2, 1776?

The Lee Resolution declared the American colonies to be “free and independent states” on July 2, 1776.

Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution stated that the United Colonies should be free from allegiance to the British Crown and that political ties with Great Britain should be dissolved. The Second Continental Congress approved it on July 2.

Two days later, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration explained and justified the decision already expressed in the Lee Resolution, giving the independence vote a fuller public statement.

July 2 is therefore important in the legal sequence leading to independence, even though July 4 became the celebrated national holiday. The 250th anniversary in 2026 commemorates the Declaration’s adoption on July 4, while the Lee Resolution marks the earlier independence decision.