The 1776 congressional resolution declaring the Thirteen Colonies independent was called the Lee Resolution.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced the proposal in the Second Continental Congress on June 7, 1776. Its central statement declared that the United Colonies were, and should be, free and independent states. Congress debated the measure before approving it on July 2, 1776.
The Lee Resolution was the formal political decision to break from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence followed as a public explanation of that decision. This distinction explains why John Adams believed July 2 would become the great national anniversary, even though July 4 ultimately became the celebrated date.
The resolution also authorized steps toward foreign alliances and a plan for confederation. Congress appointed the Committee of Five to draft the explanatory declaration, which it adopted two days later. The resolution and the Declaration therefore performed different jobs: one announced independence, while the other justified it to the world.