Which congressional body adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the event America250 commemorates?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the event America250 commemorates.

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia beginning in May 1775, after fighting had begun between colonial forces and Great Britain. It acted as the de facto national government during the Revolutionary War, overseeing military affairs, diplomacy, finance, and relations among the colonies.

On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed the Committee of Five to draft a declaration. Thomas Jefferson wrote the main draft, while John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston contributed to the committee’s work. Congress debated and revised the text before adopting the final Declaration on July 4.

The First Continental Congress had met in 1774 to coordinate resistance to British policies, but it did not declare independence. The Constitutional Convention met more than a decade later, in 1787, to design the United States Constitution.