New York's delegation abstained from the July 4, 1776, vote adopting the Declaration of Independence.
The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration after representatives of the colonies debated independence in Philadelphia. Twelve of the thirteen colonial delegations voted in favor on July 4. New York abstained because its delegates had not yet received authorization from the colony's convention to vote for independence.
New York's position was temporary rather than a rejection of independence. Its delegates received permission from the New York Convention on July 9, and the news reached Congress on July 15. This later authorization allowed New York to join the other colonies in supporting the Declaration.
The episode is often blurred by the later phrase “unanimous declaration.” Congress ordered the engrossed parchment to carry that wording on July 19, after the political authorization had become unanimous. The distinction also helps explain why accounts of the adoption, the authorization of the vote, and the later signing can appear to describe slightly different dates and procedures.