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There are many good titles for all sorts of different articles. I think my favorite would be "What Did Not Happen on the Fourth of July, 1776?" The answer is two things. Congress did not declare independence and the document was not signed on that date. In fact, the document that has the 56 signatures was not even in existence on the Fourth. The Second Continental Congress declared independence by voice vote on July 2, 1776, not July 4th. The resolution and vote for independence is right there in the Congressional Journal on July 2. On July 4th, Thomas Jefferson finished the first draft of the proposed Declaration and the members of Congress edited it down to its present form. That final form was read into the journal of the Congress on July 4th, then handwritten without the crossouts and insertions and sent to a printer. Only John Hancock and Charles Thomson signed it on that date. On July 19, 1776, Congress ordered that an engrossed copy be made on parchment and signed by all members of Congress. A new document was made and most, but not all, of the 56 signers signed it on August 2, 1776. Even John Adams considered July 2, 1776 as Independence Day and in a letter to his wife Abigail said that theday of July 2, 1776 will henceforth be celebrated for the country's independence.

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16y ago

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