Thomas Jefferson primarily drafted the United States Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson was one of five members of the committee Congress appointed to prepare a declaration. The other members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. The committee selected Jefferson to write the initial draft, drawing on political ideas and earlier colonial arguments.
The full Congress then debated and edited the document in June and July 1776. The final text was approved on July 4, after the Lee Resolution had already established the decision to declare independence on July 2.
Jefferson’s drafting role does not mean he acted alone or that the text was accepted without changes. Adams and Franklin reviewed the draft, and Congress altered portions before approval. George Washington was not a member of the drafting committee, although he was serving as commander of the Continental Army.