Who wrote most of the Declaration of Independence, whose adoption America250 commemorates?

Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration of Independence, whose adoption America250 commemorates.

Jefferson served on the Committee of Five appointed by the Second Continental Congress to prepare a declaration explaining the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. He drafted the document, while Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston reviewed and edited it.

Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Jefferson’s authorship is therefore central to the 250th-anniversary story, but the document was a collective political act rather than the work of one person alone.

A common mistake is to say Jefferson wrote every word without revision. The committee members and Congress made changes, and the final text reflects debate and editing. Another mix-up is confusing authorship with the signing process: the declaration was adopted on July 4, while many delegates signed the engrossed document later.