The Declaration of Independence Was Not Signed on July 4

July 4, 1776, is the date the Declaration of Independence was approved, not the date it was signed. The U.S. National Archives, which holds the document, calls the belief that it was signed on July 4 by all the delegates in attendance one of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration. The paper trail is clear. On July 19, Congress ordered that the Declaration be fairly engrossed on parchment and signed by every member. Engrossing means preparing an official document in a large, clear hand. On August 2, the journal of the Continental Congress records that the engrossed declaration was signed. John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signed first. Eventually 56 delegates signed, although not all were present on August 2, and a few who had voted for adoption never signed at all.