Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the central founding document commemorated during America's 250th anniversary.
Jefferson drafted the Declaration in June 1776 while serving on the Committee of Five, which also included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. The committee submitted the text to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Congress edited Jefferson's draft before adopting the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Jefferson was its principal author, but the document was a collective political act rather than a text published unchanged from his pen. John Adams and Franklin helped shape its wording during congressional debate.
A common mix-up is confusing authorship with signing. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the engrossed parchment, while Jefferson was one of the principal drafters. The Declaration announced separation from Great Britain and listed grievances against King George III.