These 4th of July Facts Will Change the Way You Look at American History

Even though the written Declaration of Independence was dated and approved on July 4, the National Archives notes that the Second Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776. In fact, the finalized copy of the document wasn't signed by Congress members until a month later on August 2, 1776.

Furthermore, in a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams predicted July 2 would mark the day of American's independence, but July 4 ended up becoming the official day of celebration.