Thomas Jefferson is usually credited as the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence, the document whose adoption is commemorated by America250.
Jefferson wrote the initial draft in June 1776 after Congress appointed the Committee of Five. The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, who reviewed and suggested changes.
Jefferson’s draft was not adopted word for word. Congress removed or altered several passages, including a section criticizing the transatlantic slave trade. Jefferson nevertheless remained the document’s principal author, while the committee and Congress shaped the final version.