When was the Declaration of Independence approved by the Second Continental Congress?

The story behind the answer

July 4, 1776 is correct because that’s the day the Second Continental Congress formally approved the final text of the Declaration of Independence. While Congress actually voted to break from Britain on July 2, the polished Declaration—the document announcing and justifying that decision—was adopted on July 4, which is why Americans celebrate Independence Day then.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration, with edits by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Congress. That night, printer John Dunlap produced the first “Dunlap broadsides” for distribution. Most delegates didn’t sign until August 2. Memory tip: “Two for the decision, Four for the Declaration”—July 2 marked the vote; July 4 sealed the words that changed history.