Which body adopted the Declaration of Independence, whose 250th anniversary is marked in 2026?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, whose 250th anniversary is marked in 2026.

The Second Continental Congress began meeting in Philadelphia in May 1775, after the Revolutionary conflict had already begun. Delegates represented the thirteen colonies and coordinated the colonial war effort, including the creation of the Continental Army and the appointment of George Washington as its commander.

In June 1776, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution stating that the colonies should be free and independent states. Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a public explanation, and Thomas Jefferson wrote the principal draft. After debate and revisions, Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4.

The First Continental Congress had met in 1774 and mainly protested British policies; it did not adopt the Declaration. The later Constitutional Convention met in 1787 and produced the United States Constitution, a different document with a different purpose.