Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence, whose 250th anniversary is commemorated by America250.
Jefferson wrote the initial draft in June 1776 as a member of the Committee of Five. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Congress then debated, edited, and approved the document rather than accepting Jefferson's draft unchanged.
Jefferson's text expressed the colonies' case for independence and included the famous assertion that all people are created equal. It also listed grievances against King George III and presented independence as a political necessity.
Calling Jefferson the sole author is an oversimplification. Adams and Franklin reviewed the draft, the committee submitted it to Congress, and the full Congress removed or changed passages. The 1776 document is therefore both Jefferson's celebrated composition and a product of collective congressional revision.