Which Founding Father wrote most of the United States Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson drafted the document in June 1776 as the principal writer of the five-member committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, but Jefferson produced the main draft.

Congress debated and edited the text before adopting the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Jefferson’s draft drew on Enlightenment ideas about natural rights and government by consent, including the claim that people may alter or abolish governments that violate their rights.

John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are sometimes credited as the principal authors because they helped shape and revise the document. However, Jefferson is the recognized primary author. The famous parchment was later engrossed and signed by delegates, with most signatures added on August 2, 1776.