Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence for the Committee of Five.
Congress appointed the five-member committee on June 11, 1776, to prepare a statement explaining why the colonies were separating from Great Britain. The committee selected Jefferson to produce the initial draft, which the other members reviewed before it went to Congress.
The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson was chosen partly because he was regarded as a strong writer and because Adams persuaded him to take the assignment.
Jefferson’s draft was not the final text. Congress debated and edited it, removing or changing several passages before approving the Declaration on July 4. The Committee of Five therefore drafted the document, but Congress adopted the final version.