Which body adopted the Declaration of Independence, commemorated 250 years later by America250?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, commemorated 250 years later by America250.

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia beginning in May 1775, after fighting had already begun between American colonists and British forces. It acted as a governing and coordinating body for the colonies during the Revolutionary War, including organizing the Continental Army and appointing George Washington as its commander.

On July 2, 1776, the Congress approved the Lee Resolution, which declared the colonies independent. Two days later, after debate and revisions, it adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration explained and justified the decision that Congress had already made through the resolution.

The First Continental Congress had met in 1774 to coordinate colonial resistance and petition the British Crown. The Constitutional Convention met in 1787 to draft the U.S. Constitution. Those bodies played important roles in American history, but neither adopted the Declaration.