What was the exact hour and minute when the U.S.A. became independent on July 4th?

Answer 1

There is a bit of confusion here.

If you're looking for the exact moment when the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted the best we can say is "a little after 11 AM on July 4". (At this time John Hancock signed a copy as President of the Congress, with Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress signing in attestation. The official "engrossed" copy from the printer was ordered on July 19, and most delegates signed it on August 2.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)#Why_the_fourth.3F
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara3.html

BUT this is not actually the correct date! If we say that the U.S. "became independent" at the moment the Second Continental Congress voted for INDEPENDENCE, the date was NOT July 4 but July 2,

The vote on July 4 was on the text of the formal documentary statement explaining what they were doing. (In other words, the resolution for independence was the key thing and was passed two days before the explanatory document was agreed on).

The key item then was Richard Henry Lee's resolution (an official resolution he brought from Virginia), the main part of which reads:
"Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

This was officially proposed on June 7, debated on July 1 and 2, adopted July 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Resolution

For a sketchy record of the proceedingss for July 2 see the
Journals of the Continental Congress --TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1776
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc00523)):

More details on the proceedings of July 1-2

"July 2, 1776:
The congress assembled to find that Pennsylvania and South Carolina were now prepared to vote in favor of the Lee resolution, leaving only New York without instructions from home and Delaware still stalemated. As Congress President John Hancock started to take the vote, Rodney arrived for Delaware with a favorable position so that the result was 12-0 with New York still abstaining. The congress began the process of going through the Jefferson prepared Declaration line-by-line."
http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/chron_ind.html

compare http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/symbols/sense.htm
http://encarta.msn.com/text_761559234___11/Declaration_of_Independence.html


John Adams wrote his wife Abigail the next day about this:
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore."

As you'll see from these sources, we do not have enough information to know precisely when on July 2 the critical vote took place -- only that Congress opened the session at 9AM and received and acted on several letters before taking the vote (and then proceeded to debate the text of the "Declaration" )

Answer 2

I don't think you can pin it down to the minute or hour. It's when they said we were independent, but we weren't really until other countries acknowledged us as so, which didn't happen until later.

(Also, people signed the Declaration at different times and I think over a couple of days, so there isn't an exact time for that either.)

Answer 3

actually, they signed over a few months. Only 2 signed on july 4th.

Answer 4

If you're interested in this kind of trivia, try this site.
http://www.earlyamerica.com/games/