Which resolution did the Second Continental Congress pass on July 2, 1776?

The Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776.

Introduced by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, the resolution declared that the United Colonies were free and independent states. Congress's approval made July 2 the date on which it formally agreed to separate from Great Britain.

The Declaration of Independence followed as the public explanation for that decision. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4 after debating and revising a draft prepared principally by Thomas Jefferson and reviewed by the Committee of Five.

This distinction explains a common historical mix-up: July 2 was the legal independence vote, while July 4 became the celebrated national holiday because it is the date printed on the Declaration. John Adams even predicted that July 2 would be remembered with celebrations, but July 4 ultimately became the enduring date.