Who drafted the original Declaration of Independence, the document celebrated by America250?

Thomas Jefferson drafted the original Declaration of Independence, the document celebrated by America250.

Congress appointed a five-member drafting group known as the Committee of Five: Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. The committee selected Jefferson to write the initial draft, which he largely completed between June 11 and June 28, 1776.

Jefferson was the principal writer, but the final document was not his work alone. The committee suggested changes, and the Second Continental Congress debated and edited the text before adopting it. This distinction explains why the Declaration is often credited to Jefferson while still being a congressional document.

Jefferson later became the third president of the United States. During America250, his role is remembered alongside the contributions of the other committee members, congressional delegates, and the many people affected by the independence movement.