The Declaration of Independence signing date myth

A widespread misconception is that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776; in fact, while the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, 1776, according to documentary evidence. The original engrossed Declaration is housed and displayed in the National Archives’ Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in Washington, D.C. The Archives and scholarly sources document the distinction between the adoption date and the principal signing date.