Who was the main drafter of the United States Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson was the main drafter of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson served on the Committee of Five appointed by the Second Continental Congress to prepare a statement explaining the colonies’ decision to separate from Great Britain. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston.

Although Jefferson wrote the principal draft, Congress revised the text during debate before adopting it on July 4, 1776. The final document therefore reflects both Jefferson’s language and the decisions of the Continental Congress.

Jefferson later became the third president of the United States. His role in writing the Declaration became one of the defining facts of his public life, but he was not the sole author of every word in the final version.