Which body adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the document celebrated by America250?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the document celebrated by America250.

The Second Continental Congress began meeting in Philadelphia in May 1775, after fighting had started between British forces and American colonists. It served as the wartime governing body for the thirteen colonies and later the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Congress appointed a Committee of Five to draft a declaration explaining why the colonies were separating from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the initial draft, while John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston contributed to the committee’s work and revisions.

Congress approved the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, declaring the colonies independent. It then edited and adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was dated July 4. The distinction between July 2 and July 4 often causes confusion: July 2 concerned the formal independence resolution, while July 4 is the date printed on the declaration and the date celebrated nationally.