<P> The Declaration became official when Congress voted for it on July 4 ; signatures of the delegates were not needed to make it official . The handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence that was signed by Congress is dated July 4 , 1776 . The signatures of fifty - six delegates are affixed ; however , the exact date when each person signed it has long been the subject of debate . Jefferson , Franklin , and Adams all wrote that the Declaration had been signed by Congress on July 4 . But in 1796 , signer Thomas McKean disputed that the Declaration had been signed on July 4 , pointing out that some signers were not then present , including several who were not even elected to Congress until after that date . </P>
<P> The Declaration became official when Congress voted for it on July 4 ; signatures of the delegates were not needed to make it official . The handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence that was signed by Congress is dated July 4 , 1776 . The signatures of fifty - six delegates are affixed ; however , the exact date when each person signed it has long been the subject of debate . Jefferson , Franklin , and Adams all wrote that the Declaration had been signed by Congress on July 4 . But in 1796 , signer Thomas McKean disputed that the Declaration had been signed on July 4 , pointing out that some signers were not then present , including several who were not even elected to Congress until after that date . </P>
when was the declaration of i dependence signed
when was the declaration of i dependence signed
July 4 , 1776
July 4 , 1776