The Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This adoption marked the formal explanation of why the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent sovereign states no longer subject to British rule. The document was drafted by a committee including Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the original draft, and it was edited and approved by Congress. While the Declaration was adopted on July 4, the signing of the official engrossed copy took place mostly on August 2, 1776.
