Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250?

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250.

Congress appointed the Committee of Five on June 11, 1776, to prepare a declaration. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. It chose Jefferson to write the first draft.

Jefferson largely composed the text between June 11 and June 28 while staying in Philadelphia. The other committee members reviewed the draft, and Congress later debated and edited it before adoption on July 4.

Calling Jefferson the primary author does not mean he wrote the final document without changes. Congress removed or revised passages, including a lengthy section criticizing the British slave trade and slavery’s role in the colonies.