Which body adopted the Declaration of Independence, the central document honored by America250?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, the central document honored by America250.

This congress represented the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War. It met in Philadelphia and acted as the revolutionary government of the colonies, including directing the war effort, appointing George Washington as commander in chief, and managing diplomacy.

Congress approved the Lee Resolution for independence on July 2, 1776. It then considered and adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The document explained the colonies’ reasons for separating from Great Britain and announced their political transformation into independent states.

The First Continental Congress had met in 1774, before the war began, while the Constitutional Convention met in 1787 to draft the U.S. Constitution. Those bodies are related to the founding era but did not adopt the Declaration.