Which 1776 resolution declared the Thirteen Colonies independent from Britain?

The Lee Resolution declared the Thirteen Colonies independent from Britain. The Second Continental Congress approved its independence clause on July 2, 1776, resolving that the colonies were free and independent states.

The resolution was proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, who introduced it in Congress on June 7 after receiving instructions from the Virginia Convention. Its original three-part proposal addressed independence, foreign alliances, and a plan of confederation. Congress considered those subjects separately, and the independence section passed first.

The Lee Resolution and the Declaration of Independence are closely related but not identical. The resolution was the formal political decision to break from British rule; the Declaration, adopted two days later on July 4, explained the reasons and announced that decision to the world. This difference is why the independence vote technically occurred on July 2, even though Americans celebrate July 4. The Albany Plan, Stamp Act, and Olive Branch Petition did not declare independence.