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What happened on the Fourth of July?
Lots of people assume that the the Declaration of Independence was signed on the Fourth of July, but that’s not true. Here’s what happened in 1776:
June 28 – The Continental Congress meets to read over Thomas Jefferson’s first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
July 2 – Congress declares independence from Great Britain. This is obviously a very big deal.
July 4 – Congress “officially adopts” the Declaration. This makes it legitimate, which is why we celebrate the Fourth.
August 2 – Congress begins signing the Declaration. This actually took several weeks to complete! Congress sent out the completed draft in January of 1777.
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