Who was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence?

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence was Thomas Jefferson.

In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed a Committee of Five to draft a formal explanation for separating from Great Britain. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson, then 33, wrote the principal draft, drawing on Enlightenment ideas about natural rights, government by consent, and the right to resist tyranny.

The committee and Congress revised Jefferson’s text, removing or changing several passages before adoption. Congress approved the Declaration on July 4, 1776, after passing the Lee Resolution for independence two days earlier. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the engrossed document, although the signing primarily took place on August 2.

Jefferson was the main writer, not the sole author. Adams and Franklin reviewed and edited the draft, while the full Congress debated and altered its language. Another common mix-up is confusing authorship with leadership: George Washington commanded the Continental Army, but he did not write the Declaration.