Who was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence adopted in 1776?

Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence adopted in 1776.

The Second Continental Congress appointed a five-member drafting committee consisting of Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson wrote the main draft, while the committee and Congress revised the text before adoption.

Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, after approving the resolution for independence two days earlier. The document announced that the thirteen colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states and presented arguments based on natural rights and the legitimacy of government.

Jefferson was chosen as principal drafter partly because of his writing ability and Virginia’s political importance. He did not sign the document alone or adopt it by himself: the final text was a congressional product, and 56 delegates eventually signed the engrossed parchment. John Hancock, as president of Congress, signed prominently, but he was not the principal author.