Happy Fourth to everyone! God Bless America! May she always be free and liberty always reign! May we never forget where we come from and the sacrifices of those before us! And my we never forget our duty to our posterity and our countrymen...

In a letter dated July 3, 1776, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was participating in the Second Continental Congress, John Adams, the future second President of the United States, wrote to his wife Abigail Smith Adams at their home in Braintree, Massachusetts:

"Yesterday the greatest Question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps, never was or will be decided among Men. A Resolution was passed without one dissenting Colony 'that these united Colonies, are, and of right ought to be free and independent States, and as such, they have, and of Right ought to have full Power to make War, conclude Peace, establish Commerce, and to do all the other Acts and Things, which other States may rightfully do.' You will see in a few days a Declaration setting forth the Causes which have impell'd Us to this mighty Revolution, and the Reasons which will justify it in the Sight of God and Man. A Plan of Confederation will be taken up in a few days."

In another letter dated July 3, 1776 from John Adams at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Abigail Smith Adams in Braintree, Massachusetts, John Adams wrote:

"But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.- I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by Solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

"You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. - I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. - Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

So John Adams, American Statesman and President, father of the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, stated in his letters at the time that he felt that the "Second Day of July" would be the holiday which Americans would celebrate for centuries to come as the Independence Day of their country.

So what happened? What happened was as follows:

On May 15, 1776, the Virginia Convention directed their delegates to the Second Continental Congress "to propose (that Congress) declare the United Colonies free and independent states."

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, delegate from Virginia at the Second Continental Congress, moved "certain resolutions respecting independency" which he submitted in accordance with his instructions from the Virginia Convention. John Adams is generally understood to have seconded the motion, precise records of which do not appear in the Journal.

Debate on the issue was postponed until the next day, June 8, 1776, when Congress, in a committee of the whole, addressed the question of independence as proposed in the Virginia Resolutions.

After taking off on Sunday, debate continued on Monday the 10th of June, but further debate on the important resolution on independency was postponed until July 1, 1776. However, "in the mean while, that no time be lost, in case the Congress agree thereto, that a committee be appointed to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first resolution."

The next day, June 11, 1776, a committee for the writing of the Declaration was chosen consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert Livingston of New York.Jefferson's participation in this committee, and his eventual authorship of the Declaration of Independence, was to make his place in American history.

On June 28, 1776, "the committee appointed to prepare a declaration, &c. brought in a draught, which was read (and) Ordered, To lie on the table" until after the question of independence (the first of the Virginia Resolutions from June 7th) was voted.

On Monday, July 1, 1776, the resolution on independence was debated by Congress in a committee of the whole, but the vote was put off until the next day. Also on July 1st, the text of the Declaration as reported by the committee on June 28th was referred to Congress in a committee of the whole.

Then on July 2, 1776, by a vote of 12 to 0, with New York abstaining as per prior, but outdated, instructions, the following resolution was adopted:

"Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connexion between them, and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

After the vote on independence passed, debate on the written Declaration by Congress in a committee of the whole began, and after the Sunday break, was resumed on July 4, 1776. When Congress was finally satisfied with the text of the Declaration, it was revised, adopted, and ordered authenticated and printed for distribution to the new states and the army.

To summarize: the important vote on independence passed on July 2, 1776, whereupon right afterwards debate was begun on the Declaration, which was adopted on July 4, 1776. Clearly, the more important issue was the vote on independence, which Adams acknowledged in his letters at the time, and in his subsequent writings. However, the Declaration being dated July 4, 1776, very early American history began celebrating Independence Day on July 4th, and great credit was generally given to Jefferson as author of the Declaration, with less credit given to Adams, who was the true point man in Congress for the independence movement.

more here: http://www.universalway.org/johnadams.html