Key Dates in the Formation of the United States:

July 2, 1776: The Continental Congress voted to approve the Lee Resolution for independence, formally severing political ties with Great Britain. John Adams believed this date would be the major annual celebration.

July 4, 1776 (The Official "Birthday"): The Continental Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, which explained the reasons for separation and is the date celebrated as Independence Day. The exact time is not a prominent historical detail.

August 2, 1776: The engrossed (official handwritten) copy of the Declaration of Independence was signed by most delegates, though some signed later.

September 3, 1783: The Treaty of Paris was signed, in which Great Britain formally recognized the United States as a sovereign and independent nation.

January 14, 1784: The Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, making the U.S. independence legally binding under international law.

March 4, 1789: The U.S. Constitution became operational, establishing the framework of the federal government that largely exists today. While the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the declaration of a new nation, its status as a fully recognized and independent country was not finalized until the end of the Revolutionary War and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris in 1784.