Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence for the committee that prepared America’s founding document.
Jefferson was one of five members of the Committee of Five, appointed by the Second Continental Congress on June 11, 1776. The other members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.
The committee presented its draft to Congress on June 28. Congress then edited the text before adopting the Declaration on July 4. Jefferson therefore served as the principal initial writer, but the final document reflected congressional debate and revisions.
A common mistake is to call Jefferson the sole author without mentioning the committee and Congress. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin advised Jefferson, while the full Congress approved and modified the final wording. America250 commemorates the document produced through that collective process.