The Committee of Five prepared the Declaration of Independence for Congress, a key America250 milestone.
Congress appointed the group on June 11, 1776, after deciding that a formal explanation of independence was needed. Its members were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.
Jefferson wrote most of the draft, while the other members reviewed it and suggested changes. The committee presented the draft to Congress on June 28, and Congress debated and edited it before adopting the final text on July 4.
The Committee of Five should not be confused with the Committee of Thirteen, which Congress also appointed in 1776 to consider a framework for union. The five-member committee’s specific assignment was drafting the declaration.