For America250, Thomas Jefferson is recognized as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a formal explanation of independence.
The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson drafted most of the text, after which the other committee members and Congress reviewed, revised, and approved it. The final document therefore reflects both Jefferson’s writing and Congress’s collective decisions.
Jefferson’s authorship is sometimes confused with the roles of Adams and Franklin, who helped revise the draft, or with the broader group of people who signed the document. The Declaration was a congressional act, not Jefferson’s private declaration. America250 commemorates the 1776 independence milestone while also highlighting the many people and debates behind it.