Which phrase was added to the Declaration’s title in 1776 to identify the thirteen states as unanimous?

The phrase “the unanimous declaration” was added to the Declaration’s title in 1776 to identify the thirteen states as unanimous.

The original printed title was later expanded to read “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” Congress ordered the change in a July 19 resolution, after adopting the Declaration’s text on July 4.

The wording reflects the political presentation of the new nation as united, even though the path to independence involved disagreement, delayed instructions, and different voting circumstances. New York’s delegation initially abstained on the July 4 independence vote because it had not yet received authorization from its colonial government.

The phrase also illustrates why the document’s printed broadsides and later engrossed parchment copy are not identical in every detail. “Unanimous” is not simply decorative wording: it belongs to the formal title associated with the signed parchment version and the thirteen states it represented.