New York abstained from the July 4, 1776, vote on the United States Declaration of Independence.
Twelve of the thirteen colonial delegations voted to approve the Declaration on July 4. New York’s delegates did not yet have authorization from their provincial government to vote for independence, so they abstained rather than oppose the measure.
New York later authorized its delegation to support independence. The Declaration therefore became the statement of all thirteen colonies, even though the vote on July 4 was not unanimous among the delegations present.
This detail is separate from the Declaration’s later signing. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the engrossed parchment document, primarily on August 2, 1776. The vote, adoption, public readings, and signing were distinct stages in the document’s creation.