Who proposed the Lee Resolution that declared the thirteen American colonies independent?

Richard Henry Lee proposed the Lee Resolution that declared the thirteen American colonies independent.

Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, introduced the resolution on June 7, 1776. Its central provision stated that the United Colonies were, and ought to be, free and independent states separated from the British Empire.

Congress postponed the final vote for several weeks while delegates sought authorization from colonies that had not yet empowered them to support independence. The resolution ultimately passed on July 2, 1776.

The Lee Resolution and the Declaration of Independence are related but distinct. The resolution made the formal political decision; the Declaration, drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and revised by Congress, explained the decision and presented it to the world.