New York abstained when Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The New York delegation lacked authorization from the provincial authorities in Albany to vote for independence, so it did not cast an affirmative or negative vote. This was a procedural abstention, not a declaration that New York permanently opposed independence. The delegation received permission to support independence about a week later.
The broader voting story is often compressed into the phrase “the thirteen colonies declared independence.” On July 4, twelve colonial delegations voted in favor and New York abstained. Earlier stages were more divided: Pennsylvania and South Carolina initially voted against independence, while Delaware’s delegation was split until Caesar Rodney arrived and broke the tie. The final resolution therefore depended on changing positions and incomplete delegations.
New York’s later role was significant. Four New York delegates—William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, and Lewis Morris—eventually signed the engrossed Declaration. Their signatures came after the colony’s political authorization had caught up with Congress’s decision.