Thomas Jefferson primarily wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a declaration. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The members decided that Jefferson would produce the initial draft.
Jefferson wrote much of the draft between June 11 and June 28 in Philadelphia. The committee reviewed it, and Congress later debated and revised the wording. The final document therefore reflects congressional editing rather than Jefferson's text alone.
Jefferson's role is sometimes overstated as if he independently authored the final version. Congress removed passages, changed language, and approved the document on July 4. The Declaration's famous ideas also drew on broader Enlightenment political traditions, including arguments associated with John Locke.