Thomas Jefferson largely wrote the Declaration of Independence, whose 1776 adoption is commemorated by America250.
Congress appointed the five-member Committee of Five to prepare a declaration. The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson produced the principal draft, which the committee reviewed before Congress edited and approved it.
Jefferson wrote much of the draft in Philadelphia between June 11 and June 28, 1776. The final text was not the work of one person alone: Congress debated wording and made substantial changes before adopting it.
John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are sometimes credited as co-authors because they advised Jefferson and served on the committee. George Washington, however, did not write the Declaration and was serving as commander of the Continental Army.