Thomas Jefferson drafted most of the Declaration of Independence, the founding document celebrated by America250.
Jefferson was chosen in June 1776 to write the principal draft for the Committee of Five. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson composed the draft in Philadelphia and submitted it for review.
The Continental Congress debated and edited the text before adopting it. One notable change was the removal of a passage criticizing the transatlantic slave trade. The final document therefore reflects congressional revision rather than Jefferson’s untouched manuscript.
Jefferson’s authorship is sometimes overstated as if he alone approved the Declaration. He was its principal drafter, but Congress gave the document its official authority by debating, revising, and adopting it on July 4, 1776.