Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, the founding document celebrated by America250.
In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a declaration explaining the colonies’ decision to separate from Great Britain. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.
Although the committee worked collectively, Jefferson wrote most of the draft, largely in isolation between June 11 and June 28, 1776. Adams and Franklin reviewed it, and Congress revised the text before adopting it on July 4. Jefferson was 33 years old at the time.
A common mix-up is crediting Jefferson as the sole author. He was the principal writer, but the committee and Congress shaped the final document. Jefferson later became the third president of the United States, while Adams and Franklin also signed the Declaration.