It seems that Jefferson may have meant that all delegates present on July 4 “signed” or “signaled” or “indicated” their approval of the document, except Dickinson whose vote was no longer needed for Pennsylvania to vote yes, rather than “signed” in the sense of writing their names. Dickinson.” This claim has been challenged by a statement made by delegate Thomas McKean, who later wrote that no one signed a copy of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. the declaration was reported by the commee., agreed to by the house, and signed by every member present except Mr. days of July were, in the evening of the last closed. Thomas Jefferson wrote in his Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress, “he debates having taken up the greater parts of the 2d. After editing the language, the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. Multiple printed drafts were in circulation among delegates during the debates on July 2-4 (see for example Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence as recorded in his Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress), but all of these printed draft versions have been lost. No wonder that John Adams thought that July 2 was a day of celebration. Delegates then turned their attention to debate the language of the Declaration of Independence. Both South Carolina and Pennsylvania changed their vote to yes and according to Jefferson there was a price to pay: the language of the Declaration was toned down and the explicit condemnation of slavery was removed. Caesar Rodney rode through the night and broke the deadlock in the Delaware delegation. And the New York delegates wrote to the New York Provincial Congress requesting that they be permitted to vote for Independence. Rutledge of South Carolina then requested the determination might be put off to the next day, as he believed his colleagues, though they disapproved of the resolution, would then join in it for the sake of unanimity.” Virginia’s motion for independence was finally approved by twelve out of thirteen states in the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. Carolina and Pennsylvania voted against it. Delaware having but two members present, they were divided” and the delegates from New York abstained because their instructions were to seek reconciliation. “Mr. July 1 was designated to be decision day on the Virginia motion for Independence after months of going back and forth over whether to reconcile or become independent. The resolution passed on 9-2-1-1 vote. Jefferson’s recollection was that “S.
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