Click through to learn more about the process writing the Declaration of Independence and what it means

The Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence on July 2, 1776. The Declaration of Independence was officially adopted on July 4, 1776. This is the day celebrated as Independence Day in the United States. 

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress began signing the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. 

John Hancock of Massachusetts was the President of the Second Continental Congress. 

56 delegates from all 13 original United States signed the Declaration of Independence. The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania at age 70. The youngest signed was Edward Rutledge from South Carolina at age 26. 

Thomas Jefferson's signature appears along with the signatures of the six other signers of the Declaration from Virginia, including his mentor, George Wythe. 

The Declaration of Independence is 1,320 words long. If you include the title and the signers' names, it is 1,458 words long. 

Before the Declaration of Independence, the 13 United States were the 13 British North American colonies. The name "United States of America" was officially adopted by Congress on September 9, 1776. 

Standards for The Declaration of Independence -- Annotated