Who proposed the Lee Resolution in the Second Continental Congress in 1776?

Richard Henry Lee proposed the Lee Resolution in the Second Continental Congress in 1776.

Lee, a Virginia statesman, introduced the motion on June 7 after receiving instructions from the Virginia Convention. The resolution called for the United Colonies to become free and independent states, seek foreign alliances, and prepare a plan of confederation.

Congress delayed the independence vote for several weeks while delegates sought authorization from their colonies. The independence portion passed on July 2, 1776, and the measure became known as the Lee Resolution after its principal proposer.

Lee was not the author of the Declaration of Independence's initial draft. That document was prepared by a Committee of Five and written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, making the resolution and the Declaration related but distinct steps toward independence.