Which congressional body adopted the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776.

Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies should be free and independent states. Its approval was the formal congressional vote for independence from Great Britain, occurring two days before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

The Second Continental Congress had convened in Philadelphia in May 1775, after the fighting at Lexington and Concord. It acted as the revolutionary government's central coordinating body, handling diplomacy, military matters, finance, and the formal move toward independence.

The Lee Resolution is often overshadowed by July 4, the date associated with the Declaration. John Adams even predicted that July 2 would be remembered as the great national anniversary. In practice, the Declaration's adoption and printed date made July 4 the enduring public holiday and the focal point of the America250 commemoration.