The Lee Resolution, adopted on July 2, 1776, formally declared the thirteen colonies independent before America250’s July 4 anniversary.
Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution stated that the United Colonies should be free and independent states. The Second Continental Congress approved it on July 2, creating the formal political decision for independence. Congress then debated and adopted the Declaration of Independence as an explanation of that decision on July 4.
The distinction between July 2 and July 4 is important. July 2 was the date of the independence vote, while July 4 became the celebrated anniversary because that was when Congress approved the declaration’s final wording. John Adams famously predicted that July 2 would be remembered, but historical memory instead centered on July 4.
The resolution was therefore not the same document as the Declaration of Independence. It was the operative decision to separate from Great Britain; the declaration supplied a public justification and statement of principles. America250 commemorates the July 4 adoption of the declaration, while the Lee Resolution explains the preceding step.