One cool, bright, sunny morning in Philadelphia, history was made – the day Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. UShistory.org gives us a quick overview of the timeline of how America made its way to Independence Day.
June 11
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston were tasked to draft a proposed Declaration of Independence.
June 12-27
Jefferson drafts a declaration. The committee reviews Jefferson’s original draft. Today, these important documents can be found in the Library of Congress.
June 28
The Declaration of Independence is read and presented in Congress.
July 1-4
Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.
July 2
Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrives in New York.
July 4
Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. John Dunlap prints copies of the Declaration of Independence. These prints are now known as “Dunlap Broadsides.” Only 24 copies are known to exist today. Two of these are in the Library of Congress, and one of those was George Washington’s personal copy.
Did you know?
John Adams believed that July 2nd was the correct date to celebrate the birth of American independence. Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of adopting the Declaration of Independence.
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