New York was the last of the 13 colonies to authorize independence before the Declaration of Independence was adopted and later commemorated by America250.
The Second Continental Congress approved the Lee Resolution for independence on July 2, 1776. New York’s delegation had initially lacked instructions to support the resolution, so its delegates abstained while their provincial convention reconsidered the issue.
New York authorized its delegates to vote for independence on July 9. Congress had already approved the Declaration’s wording on July 4, but the colony’s change completed the political authorization behind the independence decision.
This timeline explains why July 2, July 4, July 8, and August 2 all appear in accounts of independence. July 2 concerns the resolution, July 4 the Declaration’s adoption, July 8 an early public reading in Philadelphia, and August 2 the date on which most delegates signed.