Which document did the Second Continental Congress adopt on July 4, 1776, marking the anniversary celebrated by America250?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

The document formally explained why the thirteen colonies were separating from Great Britain and presented them as free and independent states. Its central political argument held that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed and that people possess rights that governments should protect.

Congress had already voted for independence on July 2 through the Lee Resolution. A drafting committee led by Thomas Jefferson then prepared the declaration, which Congress edited before approving it on July 4. The parchment was engrossed and most delegates signed it on August 2.

The Declaration is not the same document as the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first U.S. constitution and took effect in 1781. It is also distinct from the Constitution of 1787 and the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791. America250 commemorates the Declaration’s 1776 adoption, not the later creation of those governing documents.