Who proposed the Lee Resolution that led to the United States Declaration of Independence?

Richard Henry Lee proposed the Lee Resolution that led to the United States Declaration of Independence.

Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, presented the motion on June 7, 1776. It called for the United Colonies to become free and independent states, pursue foreign alliances, and prepare a plan of confederation.

Congress postponed the independence portion for several weeks while delegates sought instructions from their colonies. The resolution was approved on July 2, 1776, two days before Congress approved the Declaration explaining the reasons for independence.

Lee was not the principal writer of the Declaration; Thomas Jefferson drafted the document for the Committee of Five. Lee later signed the Declaration after returning to Congress. The distinction between proposing independence and drafting its explanation is a common source of confusion.