7-05-2026 2:45pm

Events Around The Signing Of The Declaration of Independence

John Williams Editor

The pivotal sequence of events surrounding the Declaration of Independence unfolded primarily in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, marking a transition from armed rebellion to official nationhood.[1, 2]The drafting and adoption process followed a strict timeline:

June 7, 1776: The Continental Congress, meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), receives Richard Henry Lee's resolution urging Congress to declare independence from Great Britain. [1, 2]
June 11, 1776: Congress appoints a "Committee of Five" to draft a declaration: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. [1, 2]
June 28, 1776: The committee formally presents its draft to Congress. [1, 2]
July 2, 1776: Congress votes to declare independence, passing Lee’s resolution. [1, 2]
July 4, 1776: Congress formally adopts the text of the Declaration of Independence. The next day, July 5, John Hancock dispatches the first printed broadsides (the Dunlap Broadsides) to neighboring states.[1, 2, 3]
July 6, 1776: The Pennsylvania Evening Post becomes the first newspaper to publish the text of the Declaration. [1]
August 2, 1776: The engrossed parchment copy of the Declaration is signed by the majority of delegates. In total, 56 delegates eventually signed the historic document.
The information above from (1. National Park Service, 2.