Who was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250?

Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250.

Jefferson wrote the initial draft in June 1776 while serving on the committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress to prepare a declaration. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. Congress then edited the draft before adopting the final version.

Jefferson’s text argued that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed and that people possess inherent rights. Those ideas made the Declaration influential far beyond the immediate conflict with Britain.

Jefferson did not write the document entirely alone, and he was not its sole editor. Franklin and Adams suggested changes, and the Continental Congress made substantial revisions. George Washington was the Continental Army’s commander and later became the first president, but he was not the Declaration’s principal drafter.