Which document does U.S. Independence Day commemorate the adoption of?

U.S. Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Second Continental Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to British rule.

The Declaration was drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, who served on a five-member committee with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Congress debated and revised Jefferson’s draft before adopting it in Philadelphia.

The document did not create the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was written in 1787 to establish the federal government’s structure, while the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. The Articles of Confederation, adopted later in the Revolutionary period, served as the first national governing framework.

Another useful distinction is that Congress approved independence through the Lee Resolution on July 2. The Declaration was the formal public explanation and statement of that decision, which is why July 4 became the holiday’s date.