Who introduced the Lee Resolution for American independence to the Second Continental Congress?

Richard Henry Lee introduced the Lee Resolution for American independence to the Second Continental Congress.

Lee, a Virginia delegate, presented the resolution on June 7, 1776. It proposed that the United Colonies should be free and independent states, that their political connection with Great Britain should end, and that Congress should pursue foreign alliances and a plan of confederation.

Congress delayed the final vote for several weeks while delegates sought instructions from their colonies and prepared the Declaration. The resolution was ultimately approved on July 2, 1776, two days before the Declaration itself was adopted.

The Declaration explained and justified the independence decision, while the Lee Resolution made the political decision to separate. This distinction helps explain why July 2 and July 4 both appear in accounts of American independence.