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Did Congress approve the Declaration on Aug 4 1776?

Question asked:

“The Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress on August 4th, 1776.”
False
Confidence: High Checked on September 16, 2026

Summary

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, not on August 4, 1776. The approval occurred in early July, with signing and related actions taking place in the days and weeks that followed.

Sources 60 searched

archives.gov
  • Declaration of Independence (1776) | National Archives

    The congressional revision process took all of July 3rd and most of July 4th. Finally, in the afternoon of July 4th, the Declaration was adopted. Under the supervision of the Jefferson committee, the approved Declaration was printed on July ...

  • Exhibit: Declaration Independence Resolution

    The first printing of the Declaration ... Independence were delivered to the Congress on July 5. The official copy of the Declaration of Independence, which was signed by the delegates to the Continental Congress on August ......

  • Creating the Declaration: A Timeline | National Archives

    On the morning of the July 5, copies printed by John Dunlap were dispatched by members of Congress to various committees, assemblies, and to the commanders of the Continental troops. (On July 9, the action of Congress was officially approved ...

guides.loc.gov
bensguide.gpo.gov
  • Signing the Declaration of Independence | Bens Guide

    The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until almost a month later. The Congress did not have the approval of all 13 colonies until July 9, 1776. On July 19, Congress ordered that an official copy of the document ...

  • search

    https://bensguide.gpo.gov/m-declaration-of-independence-1776 · The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until almost a month later. The Congress did not have the approval of all 13 colonies until July 9, 1776.

history.state.gov
  • Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

    However, Congress did form a committee to draft a declaration of independence and assigned this duty to Thomas Jefferson. ... Benjamin Franklin and John Adams reviewed Jefferson’s draft. They preserved its original form, but struck passages likely to meet with controversy or skepticism, most notably passages blaming King George III for the transatlantic slave trade and those blaming the British people rather than their government. The committee presented the final draft before Congress on June 28, 1776, and Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

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