Remembering the Bright Days of July 1776

The following is excerpted from The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2009 edition.

The Lee-Adams* resolution of independence was adopted by 12 "yeas" on July 2 -- the actual date of the act of independence. The Declaration, which explains the act, was adopted July 4.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776....A copy of the Declaration, engrossed on parchment, was signed by members of Congress on and after August 2, 1776.

The immortal second paragraph begins: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--..."


The entire text is found here:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html


*Richard Henry Lee of Virginia and John Adams of Massachusetts