Which body voted for independence through the Lee Resolution in 1776, a milestone revisited by America250?

The Second Continental Congress voted for independence through the Lee Resolution in 1776.

Richard Henry Lee introduced the resolution on June 7, 1776, while Congress was meeting in Philadelphia. After delegates worked to secure wider support among the colonies, Congress approved its independence clause on July 2. The resolution declared that the colonies were free and independent states and separated from the British Empire.

Congress then turned to a formal explanation of that decision. It approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, which is why the United States celebrates Independence Day on that date rather than July 2. America250 commemorates both the revolutionary decision and the later national declaration.

The Second Continental Congress had first assembled in May 1775, after the Revolutionary War began. It directed the war effort, managed foreign relations, issued currency, and eventually approved the Articles of Confederation. It should not be confused with the First Continental Congress, which met in 1774.