Declaration of Independence Was Mostly Signed in August, Not July

For most Americans, July 4 is synonymous with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Fireworks, parades, and celebrations commemorate the birth of the nation and the bold decision by the Continental Congress to break from Great Britain.

But while July 4 marks the date the Declaration was officially adopted, most of the nation’s Founding Fathers did not actually sign the famous document until nearly a month later.

According to the National Archives, Aug. 2, 1776, was the day most of the 56 delegates placed their signatures on the engrossed, or handwritten, parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence. This year marks the 250th anniversary of that historic signing.

The Declaration became official on July 4, when Congress approved its final wording and recorded its vote. John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, signed the document that day, authenticating it on behalf of Congress. The signatures of the remaining delegates were not required for the Declaration to take effect.

For many years, historians believed all of the delegates signed on July 4 because Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams later wrote that the Declaration had been signed that day. However, signer Thomas McKean later disputed those accounts, noting that several delegates were not even present in Philadelphia on July 4, and some had not yet been elected to Congress.

Modern historians generally agree with McKean’s recollection. Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on Aug. 2, while others added their names later after returning to Congress.

The signing itself was far from the triumphant celebration often depicted in paintings.

In an 1811 letter to John Adams, Dr. Benjamin Rush recalled the event as taking place in “pensive and awful silence.” According to Rush, each delegate approached the table one at a time, fully aware that signing the Declaration could be viewed as an act of treason punishable by death.

Rush also recounted one moment of humor that briefly eased the tension. Virginia delegate Benjamin Harrison reportedly turned to the much smaller Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and joked, “I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead.”

Rush wrote that the comment produced “a transient smile” before the solemn mood quickly returned.

Among the 56 signers were future presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, but perhaps no signature became more famous than that of John Hancock. His bold, oversized signature has become so closely associated with signing one’s name that “put your John Hancock here” remains a common expression today.

Stories have long circulated that Hancock deliberately signed his name large enough so King George III could read it without spectacles, though historians generally regard that tale as legend rather than documented fact.

Another famous quotation often linked to the signing is Benjamin Franklin’s reported remark, “We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” While the quote has become part of American folklore, it did not appear in print until decades later and cannot be confirmed.

The historic signing was carried out using the Syng inkstand, an ornate silver inkwell that remains an important artifact of the nation’s founding. The same inkstand was later used in 1787 when delegates signed the U.S. Constitution.

Although Independence Day will always be celebrated on July 4, the events of Aug. 2 serve as a reminder that the nation’s founders did more than approve a revolutionary document—they personally pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor by signing it.

Two hundred fifty years later, Aug. 2 stands as another milestone in the story of American independence, commemorating the day most of the Declaration’s signers transformed their words into a lasting commitment.