When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

The Second Continental Congress voted for independence from Britain on 2 July 1776 and approved the final wording of the Declaration two days later in Philadelphia. The document was drafted mainly by Thomas Jefferson, with edits from John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and the rest of Congress. A handwritten, formal copy was prepared, and most of the 56 signers added their names on 2 August, with a few signing later. John Hancock, the president of Congress, signed first and largest, making his name a slang word for signature. Independence Day has been celebrated on 4 July ever since, becoming a federal holiday in 1870.