Signing of the United states Declaration of Independence - wikipedia Signing of the United states Declaration of Independence Not to be confused with John Trumbull 's painting Declaration of Independence. The signatures on the Declaration of Independence The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776 at the Pennsylvania State House, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress represented the 13 former colonies which had declared themselves the `` United States of America, '' and they endorsed the Declaration of Independence which the Congress had approved on July 4, 1776. The Declaration proclaimed that the former Thirteen Colonies then at war with Great Britain were now a sovereign, independent nation and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. The signers ' names are grouped by state, with the exception of President of the Continental Congress John Hancock ; the states are arranged geographically from north to south. The final draft of the Declaration was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, although the date of its signing has long been disputed. Most historians have concluded that it was signed on August 2, 1776, nearly a month after its adoption, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed. Contents 1 Date of signing 2 List of signers 3 Signer details 4 Stories and legends 5 References 5.1 Citations 5.2 Sources Date of signing The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, by Armand - Dumaresq ( c. 1873 ) has been hanging in the White House since the late 1980s The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, with 12 of the 13 colonies voting in favor and New York abstaining. The date that the Declaration was signed has long been the subject of debate. Within a decade after the event, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams all wrote that the Declaration was signed by Congress the day it was adopted on July 4, 1776. That assertion is seemingly confirmed by the signed copy of the Declaration, which is dated July 4. Additional support for the July 4 date is provided by the Journals of Congress, the official public record of the Continental Congress. The proceedings for 1776 were first published in 1777, and the entry for July 4 states that the Declaration was engrossed and signed on that date ( the official copy was handwritten ). In 1796, signer Thomas McKean disputed that the Declaration had been signed on July 4, pointing out that some signers were not present, including several who were not even elected to Congress until after that date. `` ( N ) o person signed it on that day nor for many days after '', he later wrote. His claim gained support when the Secret Journals of Congress were published in 1821. The Secret Journals contained two previously unpublished entries about the Declaration. On July 15, New York 's delegates heard that they 'd gotten permission from their convention to agree to the declaration. The Secret Journals entry for July 19 reads : Resolved That the Declaration passed on the 4th be fairly engrossed on parchment with the title and stile of `` The unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America '' & that the same when engrossed be signed by every member of Congress. The entry for August 2 states : The declaration of Independence being engrossed & compared at the table was signed by the Members. In 1884, historian Mellen Chamberlain argued that these entries indicated that the famous signed version of the Declaration had been created following the July 19 resolution, and had not been signed by Congress until August 2. Subsequent research has confirmed that many of the signers had not been present in Congress on July 4, and that some delegates may have added their signatures even after August 2. Both Jefferson and Adams never wavered from their belief that the signing ceremony took place on July 4, yet most historians have accepted the argument which David McCullough articulates in his biography of John Adams : `` No such scene, with all the delegates present, ever occurred at Philadelphia. '' The Syng inkstand was used during the signing of the Declaration Legal historian Wilfred Ritz concluded in 1986 that about 34 delegates signed the Declaration on July 4, and that the others signed on or after August 2. Ritz argued that the engrossed copy of the Declaration was signed by Congress on July 4, as Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin had stated, and that it was implausible that all three men had been mistaken. Ritz believed that McKean 's testimony was questionable, and that historians had misinterpreted the July 19 resolution. According to Ritz, this resolution did not call for a new document to be created, but rather for the existing one to be given a new title, which was necessary after New York had joined the other 12 states in declaring independence. Ritz reasoned that the phrase `` signed by every member of Congress '' in the July 19 resolution meant that delegates who had not signed the Declaration on the 4th were now required to do so. List of signers Fifty - six delegates eventually signed the Declaration of Independence : President of Congress 1. John Hancock ( Massachusetts Bay ) New Hampshire 2. Josiah Bartlett 3. William Whipple 4. Matthew Thornton Massachusetts Bay 5. Samuel Adams 6. John Adams 7. Robert Treat Paine 8. Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 9. Stephen Hopkins 10. William Ellery Connecticut 11. Roger Sherman 12. Samuel Huntington 13. William Williams 14. Oliver Wolcott New York 15. William Floyd 16. Philip Livingston 17. Francis Lewis 18. Lewis Morris New Jersey 19. Richard Stockton 20. John Witherspoon 21. Francis Hopkinson 22. John Hart 23. Abraham Clark Pennsylvania 24. Robert Morris 25. Benjamin Rush 26. Benjamin Franklin 27. John Morton 28. George Clymer 29. James Smith 30. George Taylor 31. James Wilson 32. George Ross Delaware 33. Caesar Rodney 34. George Read 35. Thomas McKean Maryland 36. Samuel Chase 37. William Paca 38. Thomas Stone 39. Charles Carroll of Carrollton Virginia 40. George Wythe 41. Richard Henry Lee 42. Thomas Jefferson 43. Benjamin Harrison 44. Thomas Nelson, Jr. 45. Francis Lightfoot Lee 46. Carter Braxton North Carolina 47. William Hooper 48. Joseph Hewes 49. John Penn South Carolina 50. Edward Rutledge 51. Thomas Heyward, Jr. 52. Thomas Lynch, Jr. 53. Arthur Middleton Georgia 54. Button Gwinnett 55. Lyman Hall 56. George Walton Signer details Eight delegates never signed the Declaration, out of the approximately 50 who are thought to have been present in Congress during the voting on independence in early July 1776 : John Alsop, George Clinton, John Dickinson, Charles Humphreys, Robert R. Livingston, John Rogers, Thomas Willing, and Henry Wisner. Clinton, Livingston, and Wisner were attending to duties away from Congress when the signing took place. Willing and Humphreys voted against the resolution of independence and were replaced in the Pennsylvania delegation before the August 2 signing. Rogers had voted for the resolution of independence but was no longer a delegate on August 2. Alsop favored reconciliation with Great Britain and so resigned rather than add his name to the document. Dickinson refused to sign, believing the Declaration premature, but he remained in Congress. George Read had voted against the resolution of independence, and Robert Morris had abstained -- yet they both signed the Declaration. The most famous signature on the engrossed copy is that of John Hancock, who presumably signed first as President of Congress. Hancock 's large, flamboyant signature became iconic, and John Hancock emerged in the United States as an informal synonym for `` signature ''. Future presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were among the signatories. Edward Rutledge ( age 26 ) was the youngest signer and Benjamin Franklin ( age 70 ) the oldest. John Hancock 's now - iconic signature on the Declaration is nearly 5 inches ( 13 cm ) long. Some delegates were away on business when the Declaration was debated, including William Hooper and Samuel Chase, but they were back in Congress to sign on August 2. Other delegates were present when the Declaration was debated but added their names after August 2, including Lewis Morris, Oliver Wolcott, Thomas McKean, and possibly Elbridge Gerry. Richard Henry Lee and George Wythe were in Virginia during July and August, but returned to Congress and signed the Declaration probably in September and October, respectively. New delegates joining the Congress were also allowed to sign. Eight men signed the Declaration who did not take seats in Congress until after July 4 : Matthew Thornton, William Williams, Benjamin Rush, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, George Ross, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Matthew Thornton did not take a seat in Congress until November. By the time that he signed it, there was n't any space for his name next to the other New Hampshire delegates, so he placed his signature at the end of the document. The first published version of the Declaration was the Dunlap broadside. The only names on that version were Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson, and those names were printed rather than signatures. The public did not learn who had signed the engrossed copy until January 18, 1777, when the Congress ordered that an `` authenticated copy '' be sent to each of the 13 states, including the names of the signers. This copy is called the Goddard Broadside ; it was the first to list all the signers except for Thomas McKean, who may not have signed the Declaration until after the Goddard Broadside was published. Congress Secretary Charles Thomson did not sign the engrossed copy of the Declaration, and his name does n't appear on the Goddard Broadside, even though it does appear on the Dunlap broadside. Stories and legends Various legends emerged years later concerning the signing of the Declaration, when the document had become an important national symbol. In one famous story, John Hancock supposedly said that Congress, having signed the Declaration, must now `` all hang together '', and Benjamin Franklin replied : `` Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. '' The quotation did not appear in print until more than 50 years after Franklin 's death. References Citations Jump up ^ Warren, `` Fourth of July Myths '', pp. 242 -- 43 Jump up ^ Warren, `` Fourth of July Myths '', p. 246 ; Burnett, Continental Congress, p. 192 Jump up ^ Hazelton, Declaration History, pp. 299 -- 302 ; Burnett, Continental Congress, p. 192 Jump up ^ Hazelton, Declaration History, p. 302 Jump up ^ Warren, `` Fourth of July Myths '', pp. 243 -- 45 Jump up ^ https://declaration.fas.harvard.edu/blog/signing Jump up ^ U.S. Continental Congress, Secret Journals vol. 1, p. 46 Jump up ^ U.S. Continental Congress, Secret Journals vol. 1, p. 46 Jump up ^ Warren, `` Fourth of July Myths '', pp. 245 -- 46 Jump up ^ Hazelton, Declaration History, pp. 208 -- 19 ; Wills, Inventing America, p. 341 Jump up ^ Strauss, Valerie ( July 2, 2014 ). `` What you know about July 4th is wrong ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Ritz, `` Authentication '', p. 194 Jump up ^ Ritz, `` Authentication '', p. 182 Jump up ^ Ritz, `` Authentication '', pp. 198 -- 200 Jump up ^ Ritz, `` Authentication '', pp. 190 -- 200 Jump up ^ Friedenwald ( Interpretation and Analysis, p. 143 ) says that 45 delegates can be confirmed as present on July 4, and that another four might have been. Jump up ^ Friedenwald ( Interpretation, p. 149 ) gives the number of non-signers as seven, not counting Dickinson, who absented himself for the final votes. Jump up ^ Hazelton, Declaration History, pp. 525 -- 26 Jump up ^ Hazelton, Declaration History, p. 209 Jump up ^ Merriam - Webster online ; Dictionary.com. Jump up ^ Malone, Story of the Declaration, p. 90 Jump up ^ Fradin, The Signers, 112. Jump up ^ Friedenwald, Interpretation, p, 148 Jump up ^ Friedenwald ( Interpretation, p. 149 ) lists seven men ; he does not include Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who had been working as an emissary for Congress. He did not become an official member of the Maryland delegation until July 4, and did not take his seat as a delegate until July 18. ( Hazelton, Declaration History, pp. 529, 587 ) Jump up ^ The U.S. State Department ( 1911 ), The Declaration of Independence, 1776, pp. 10, 11. Jump up ^ Friedenwald, Interpretation, p. 150 Jump up ^ Warren, `` Fourth of July Myths '', p. 247 ; Hazelton, Declaration History, p. 284 ; Friedenwald, Interpretation, p. 137, where the date is misprinted as January 8, but correct on page 150. Jump up ^ Friedenwald, Interpretation, p. 137 Jump up ^ Malone, Story of the Declaration, p. 91 Sources Boyd, Julian P., ed. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 1. Princeton University Press, 1950. Boyd, Julian P. `` The Declaration of Independence : The Mystery of the Lost Original ''. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 100, number 4 ( October 1976 ), 438 -- 67. Burnett, Edward Cody. The Continental Congress. New York : Norton, 1941. Friedenwald, Herbert. The Declaration of Independence : An Interpretation and an Analysis. New York : Macmillan, 1904. Accessed via the Internet Archive. Hazelton, John H. The Declaration of Independence : Its History. Originally published 1906. New York : Da Capo Press, 1970. ISBN 0 - 306 - 71987 - 8. 1906 printing available on Google Book Search Maier, Pauline. American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence. New York : Knopf, 1997. ISBN 0 - 679 - 45492 - 6. Malone, Dumas. The Story of the Declaration of Independence. New York : Oxford University Press, 1975. A picture book with text by a leading Jefferson scholar. Ritz, Wilfred J. `` The Authentication of the Engrossed Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 ''. Law and History Review 4, no. 1 ( Spring 1986 ) : 179 -- 204. United States Continental Congress. Secret journals of the acts and proceedings of Congress, from the first meeting thereof to the dissolution of the Confederation, vol. 1, p. 46. Boston : Thomas B. Wait, 1820. Warren, Charles. `` Fourth of July Myths. '' The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, vol. 2, no. 3 ( July 1945 ) : 238 -- 72. Wills, Garry. Inventing America : Jefferson 's Declaration of Independence. Garden City, New York : Doubleday, 1978. ISBN 0 - 385 - 08976 - 7. Historical documents of the United States Constitution Preamble & Articles Preamble II III IV V VI VII Amendments Ratified 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pending Congressional Apportionment Titles of Nobility Corwin ( State Domestic Institutions ) Child Labor Unsuccessful Equal Rights District of Columbia Voting Rights See also List of Constitutional Amendments Bill of Rights ( Amendments 1 -- 10 ) Reconstruction Amendments ( Amendments 13 -- 15 ) Amendment proposals in Congress Conventions to propose amendments State ratifying conventions Formation History Articles of Confederation Mount Vernon Conference Annapolis Convention Philadelphia Convention Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan Connecticut Compromise Three - Fifths Compromise Committee of Detail Signing Independence Hall Syng inkstand The Federalist Papers Anti-Federalist Papers Massachusetts Compromise Virginia Ratifying Convention Hillsborough Convention Drafting and ratification timeline Clauses Appointments Appropriations Assistance of Counsel Bill of credit Case or Controversy Citizenship Commerce Compact Compulsory Process Confrontation Contract Copyright and Patent Double Jeopardy Due Process Equal Protection Establishment Exceptions Excessive Bail Ex post facto Extradition Free Exercise Free Speech Fugitive Slave Full Faith and Credit General Welfare Guarantee Impeachment Import - Export Ineligibility ( Emolument ) Militia Natural - born citizen Necessary and Proper New States No Religious Test Oath or Affirmation Origination Petition Postal Presentment Privileges and Immunities Privileges or Immunities Recommendation Self - Incrimination Speech or Debate Speedy Trial State of the Union Supremacy Suspension Take Care Takings Taxing and Spending Territorial Title of Nobility Treaty Trial by Jury Vesting Vicinage War Powers List of clauses Interpretation Concurrent powers Congressional enforcement Constitutional law Criminal procedure Criminal sentencing Dormant Commerce Clause Enumerated powers Equal footing Executive privilege Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Judicial review Nondelegation doctrine Preemption Saxbe fix Separation of church and state Separation of powers Taxation power Unitary executive theory Signatories Convention President George Washington New Hampshire John Langdon Nicholas Gilman Massachusetts Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King Connecticut William Samuel Johnson Roger Sherman New York Alexander Hamilton New Jersey William Livingston David Brearley William Paterson Jonathan Dayton Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Thomas Mifflin Robert Morris George Clymer Thomas Fitzsimons Jared Ingersoll James Wilson Gouverneur Morris Delaware George Read Gunning Bedford Jr. John Dickinson Richard Bassett Jacob Broom Maryland James McHenry Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Daniel Carroll Virginia John Blair James Madison North Carolina William Blount Richard Dobbs Spaight Hugh Williamson South Carolina John Rutledge Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney Pierce Butler Georgia William Few Abraham Baldwin Convention Secretary William Jackson Display and legacy National Archives Charters of Freedom Rotunda Independence Mall Constitution Day Constitution Gardens National Constitution Center Scene at the Signing of the Constitution ( painting ) A More Perfect Union ( film ) Worldwide influence Declaration of Independence Primary author Thomas Jefferson Signatories President of Congress John Hancock ( Massachusetts ) New Hampshire Josiah Bartlett William Whipple Matthew Thornton Massachusetts Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Connecticut Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington William Williams Oliver Wolcott New York William Floyd Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris New Jersey Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Francis Hopkinson John Hart Abraham Clark Pennsylvania Robert Morris Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin John Morton George Clymer James Smith George Taylor James Wilson George Ross Delaware George Read Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean Maryland Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton Virginia George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton North Carolina William Hooper Joseph Hewes John Penn South Carolina Edward Rutledge Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Lynch Jr. Arthur Middleton Georgia Button Gwinett Lyman Hall George Walton See also Virginia Declaration of Rights Lee Resolution Committee of Five Document 's history signing portrait Second Continental Congress `` All men are created equal '' `` Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness '' `` Consent of the governed '' Independence Hall Syng inkstand American Revolution Articles of Confederation Signatories Primary drafter John Dickinson New Hampshire Josiah Bartlett John Wentworth Jr. Massachusetts John Hancock Samuel Adams Elbridge Gerry Francis Dana James Lovell Samuel Holten Rhode Island William Ellery Henry Marchant John Collins Connecticut Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington Oliver Wolcott Titus Hosmer Andrew Adams New York James Duane Francis Lewis William Duer Gouverneur Morris New Jersey John Witherspoon Nathaniel Scudder Pennsylvania Robert Morris Daniel Roberdeau Jonathan Bayard Smith William Clingan Joseph Reed Delaware Thomas McKean John Dickinson Nicholas Van Dyke Maryland John Hanson Daniel Carroll Virginia Richard Henry Lee John Banister Thomas Adams John Harvie Francis Lightfoot Lee North Carolina John Penn Cornelius Harnett John Williams South Carolina Henry Laurens William Henry Drayton John Mathews Richard Hutson Thomas Heyward Jr. Georgia John Walton Edward Telfair Edward Langworthy See also Continental Congress Congress of the Confederation American Revolution Perpetual Union Continental Association Signatories President of Congress Peyton Randolph New Hampshire John Sullivan Nathaniel Folsom Massachusetts Bay Thomas Cushing Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Rhode Island Stephen Hopkins Samuel Ward Connecticut Eliphalet Dyer Roger Sherman Silas Deane New York Isaac Low John Alsop John Jay James Duane Philip Livingston William Floyd Henry Wisner Simon Boerum New Jersey James Kinsey William Livingston Stephen Crane Richard Smith John De Hart Pennsylvania Joseph Galloway John Dickinson Charles Humphreys Thomas Mifflin Edward Biddle John Morton George Ross The Lower Counties Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean George Read Maryland Matthew Tilghman Thomas Johnson, Junr William Paca Samuel Chase Virginia Richard Henry Lee George Washington Patrick Henry, Junr Richard Bland Benjamin Harrison Edmund Pendleton North Carolina William Hooper Joseph Hewes Richard Caswell South Carolina Henry Middleton Thomas Lynch Christopher Gadsden John Rutledge Edward Rutledge See also Virginia Association First Continental Congress Carpenters ' Hall Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress John Hancock 1st and 3rd Governor of Massachusetts, 1780 -- 1785, 1787 -- 1793 President, 2nd Continential Congress, 1775 -- 1777 Boston Board of Selectmen, 1766 -- 1775 United States Founding events HMS Liberty confiscation Sons of Liberty Co-inspired, Boston Tea Party 1774 Massacre Day speech President, Massachusetts Provincial Congress Chairman, Massachusetts Committee of Safety Presided over, signed, United States Declaration of Independence signing Dunlap broadside Signed, Articles of Confederation Life Early life Hancock - Clarke House Hancock Manor Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University Boston Cadets Co-founder, American Academy of Arts and Sciences United States presidential election, 1788 -- 89 Granary Burying Ground Related American Revolution patriots Founding Father Syng inkstand Legacy USS Hancock, 1776 Liberty 's Kids ( 2002 animated series ) John Adams ( 2008 miniseries ) Sons of Liberty ( 2015 miniseries ) John Hancock Tower John Hancock Center Family Dorothy Quincy ( wife ) John Hancock Jr. ( father ) Thomas Hancock ( uncle ) John Hancock, Sr. ( grandfather ) Edmund Quincy ( father - in - law ) Politics portal United States portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Signing_of_the_United_States_Declaration_of_Independence&oldid=806761337 '' Categories : United States Declaration of Independence Documents of the American Revolution 1776 in the United States 1776 in the British Empire Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2017, at 00 : 15. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the declaration of independence officially signed
Answer: August 2, 1776