Which five-member group drafted the Declaration of Independence, central to America250?

The Committee of Five drafted the Declaration of Independence, central to America250.

The Continental Congress appointed the group on June 11, 1776, to prepare a document explaining the colonies’ decision to separate from Great Britain. Its members were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the initial draft, while the other members reviewed and revised it. Congress then debated and edited the text before adopting it on July 4, 1776.

The committee is sometimes confused with the Continental Congress itself or with the later committee that formally engrossed the document for signatures. The Committee of Five handled the drafting assignment; Congress made the final decision and adopted the Declaration.