Who proposed the Lee Resolution, which formally declared the colonies independent in 1776?

Richard Henry Lee proposed the Lee Resolution, which formally declared the colonies independent in 1776.

Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress, introduced the resolution on June 7, 1776. Its central clause stated that the United Colonies should become free and independent states, ending their political connection with Great Britain.

The proposal followed instructions from the Fifth Virginia Convention, which had directed Virginia's congressional delegates to seek independence. Congress delayed the vote while several colonies obtained authorization to support the measure. The resolution passed on July 2, 1776.

The Lee Resolution is not the same document as the Declaration of Independence. The resolution made the legal-political decision for independence, while the Declaration, drafted mainly by Thomas Jefferson, explained the reasons and principles behind that decision. Congress approved the Declaration's text two days later, on July 4.