The Lee Resolution was the 1776 resolution that formally asserted the Thirteen Colonies' independence.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed the resolution in the Second Continental Congress on June 7, 1776. Its independence clause declared that the United Colonies were free and independent states and that their political connection with Great Britain should be dissolved.
Congress postponed the vote while delegates sought instructions from their colonial governments. On July 2, 1776, the independence portion passed with support from twelve colonies; New York abstained because its delegates had not yet received authorization. The resolution is named for Lee, although John Adams seconded it.
The Declaration of Independence followed a different function. Congress approved the Declaration's text on July 4, two days after adopting the Lee Resolution. The Declaration explained the reasons for separation, while the Lee Resolution supplied the formal congressional decision to declare independence.