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Although it was announced on July 4, 1776, the Declaration was first signed on August 2, 1776, with the last signature being added in late November.

There is no single, perfect date for the adoption of the Declaration. The completed Declaration was accepted on July 2 and some delegates believed that would become an important day in history. On July 4, 1776, a scheduled meeting to discuss the Declaration was cut short and delegates agreed to the wording in principle before adjourning (some say the adjournment was due to nasty horseflies invading the hall). On July 8, it was published as a broadside (at first with only John Hancock's signature). By August, it was published again with most of the signatures. There is no one official version of the Declaration of Independence. Three slightly different versions were approved. The famous painting of the delegates all standing or seated in Independence Hall, waiting to sign the document, is pure fiction. There was never a time when all the signers were together in one place at one time.

August 2, 1776

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7y ago

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