Which document adopted on July 4, 1776, is America250 commemorating?

America250 commemorates the United States Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776.

The document announced that the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states rather than colonies subject to Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress approved it in Philadelphia after delegates had debated the Lee Resolution, which formally proposed independence.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft, working with the Committee of Five: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Jefferson himself. Congress edited the text before approving it. The parchment copy most people recognize was engrossed and signed mainly on August 2, although it bears the date July 4.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Constitution. The Declaration explained the break with Britain, while the Constitution, written in 1787, established the framework of the federal government. Its opening principles have also made the Declaration an influential statement about rights and government.