What was the name of the 1776 resolution that formally asserted American independence?

The Lee Resolution was the 1776 resolution that formally asserted American independence.

The Second Continental Congress approved the independence section of the resolution on July 2, 1776. It declared that the Thirteen Colonies were “free and independent States” and no longer part of the British Empire. The measure was proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, whose name became attached to it.

The resolution and the Declaration of Independence are closely related but not identical. The Lee Resolution made the formal political decision for independence, while the Declaration explained the reasons and principles behind that decision. Congress approved the Declaration’s final text two days later, on July 4.

This distinction explains why John Adams believed July 2 would become the principal anniversary. Instead, Americans came to celebrate July 4, the date associated with approval of the Declaration’s text.