Who was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress appointed a five-member drafting committee in June 1776. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Although all five contributed to the process, Jefferson wrote the initial draft, which the committee reviewed before presenting it to Congress.

Congress edited the document during debates in late June and early July. It adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, after approving the independence resolution two days earlier. The document explained why the colonies were separating from Great Britain and expressed Enlightenment ideas about natural rights and government.

Jefferson later served as the third president of the United States, but his role as the Declaration's principal drafter is distinct from the many delegates who debated, amended, and approved it.