what year was the declaration of independence signed

The Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776. Although the document was approved on July 4, 1776, it took some time to finalize and print the copies. The signing process began on August 2, 1776, with John Hancock, the President of the Congress, signing the engrossed copy with a bold signature. The other delegates followed, signing beginning at the right with the signatures arranged by states from northernmost New Hampshire to southernmost Georgia. Although all delegates were not present on August 2nd, 56 delegates eventually signed the document.