Congress votes for independence

On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted in Philadelphia to approve Richard Henry Lee's resolution declaring that the colonies were free and independent states. Delegates from twelve colonies supported independence, while New York abstained because its convention had not yet given approval. John Adams later believed July 2 would be remembered as the true birthday of American independence because Congress had taken the decisive legal step that day.

The vote resolved a political question that had dominated Congress since the fighting at Lexington and Concord: whether reconciliation with George III remained possible or whether separation had become necessary. By adopting independence before approving the Declaration's final wording, Congress made clear that the legal break from Britain did not rest on rhetoric alone. The decision also forced delegates and state governments to accept that war aims had shifted from redress of grievances to national sovereignty.

Congress's vote on July 2 made the Declaration of Independence possible as the public explanation of a decision already taken. The resolution also opened the way for foreign diplomacy with France and other powers that could now treat the United States as a nation seeking recognition rather than as rebellious colonies.