On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt a resolution offered by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia that called for independence. John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, wrote, "The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha [sic] 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 solemnized with pomp, and parade, with shows, games, sports, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."