July 4, 1776 –
The Continental Congress approved adoption of the amended Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson and signed by John Hancock – President of the Continental Congress – and Charles Thomson, Congress secretary (among others,) without dissent.
However, the New York delegation abstained as directed by the New York Provisional Congress. The United States was very busy for the next couple of years and didn’t get around to commemorating Independence Day until 1796.
(Another thing your teachers never told you) –
Mary Katherine Goddard, who was working as printer at the time, voluntarily inscribed her full name on the document, making her the only woman who ‘signed‘ the Declaration of Independence. Congress fled Philadelphia and settled temporarily in Baltimore. When they needed somebody to print the Declaration, Goddard was the person to help.
Those who signed it knew they were taking a risk that amounted to treason against the British empire if their side lost. At the bottom of the document is written “Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katherine Goddard.”
The Haus of Dcaligari 