Declaration of Independence
On July 2, 1776, after months of deliberation and while directing battle in the colonies and Canada, the Second Continental Congress voted to declare the “united States of America” separate and independent from Britain. On July 4, the Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson. Copies were immediately printed and distributed throughout the colonies and the continental troops. On July 9, with the approval of the last colony, New York, the Declaration became the “unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” On August 2, 1776, the printed Declaration was signed by most of the congressional delegates, the final signature affixed in 1781 by the New Hampshire delegate.
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The 10 most recently added of 48 records · Select a column heading to sort.
| ID | Text | Notes | Grievance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Matthew Thornton | New Hampshire | |
| 47 | Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott | Connecticut | |
| 46 | Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery | Rhode Island | |
| 45 | John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry | Massachusetts; As president of the Congress, Hancock signed first, at top center. | |
| 44 | Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple | New Hampshire | |
| 43 | Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark | New Jersey | |
| 42 | William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris | New York | |
| 41 | Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean | Delaware | |
| 40 | Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross | Pennsylvania | |
| 39 | George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton | Virginia |
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Scope and sources
Last checked against sources: October 15, 2026.
Last changed: October 15, 2026. This is when we last changed the data or its description. It doesn’t mean the data runs up to that date.
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