The Real Story Behind America’s Fourth of July

On July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. The Congress voted for independence on July 2, printed the declaration on July 5, celebrated publicly on July 8, and signed it on August 2; General George Washington did not sign.

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Seven myths persist: 1) Independence declared July 4? Congress voted July 2. 2) Declaration signed July 4? Signing occurred August 2, led by John Hancock. 3) Washington signed? He led the army in New York and did not sign. 4) Liberty Bell rang July 4? A 1847 magazine story invented it; bell rang for Stamp Act. 5) Secret codes? Back reads “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” 6) All colonists wanted independence? 15-20 % were Loyalists, ~50,000 served in Loyalist units. 7) All Native Americans backed the British? Tribes were divided, some fought with Continentals.

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Charles Thomson’s journals record the July 2 independence vote, the July 4 adoption of the Declaration, and the five-member drafting committee—Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Livingston, Sherman—whose text printed on July 5 later informed the Bill of Rights, linking the 1776 Congress to today’s legislature.

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Archivist Jane Fitzgerald said the Continental Congress’s hard work “made the Declaration…come alive on the parchment.” Director Jay Wyatt noted the document reflects “the consent of the people” and links to the Bill of Rights. Rep. Brendan Boyle warned today’s Congress “has not jealously guarded its prerogatives” as the founders intended.

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Critics argue Congress has drifted from its founding role, ceding war-making power to the president and neglecting robust budget oversight, a shift highlighted by Boyle’s warning.

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The Liberty Bell story conflicts with evidence of ringing for the Stamp Act, and the myth of universal Native American support conflicts with tribal division. The belief that the Declaration was signed on July 4 also contradicts the August 2 record.

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• “The hard work of the members of the Continental Congress, through their motions, through their committees, made the Declaration of Independence come alive on the parchment,” — Jane Fitzgerald, Archivist, National Archives

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• “It shows that the end product has the consent of the people, an idea that is put forward in the Declaration and worked and refined all the way until you get to the Bill of Rights,” — Jay Wyatt, Legislative Archives Director

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• “It had no real precedent in American history,” — Jack Rakove, Stanford History Professor Emeritus

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• “I do think our founders would be surprised and alarmed that this current Congress has not jealously guarded its prerogatives as the legislative branch, not just in the last two years but over the last 25 years,” — Brendan Boyle, Rep., PA

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A July 2 delegation will place a time capsule in Independence Hall, while a second capsule will be sealed on Capitol Hill, marking the 250th anniversary and inviting reflection.

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