Who wrote most of the first draft of the Declaration of Independence celebrated by America250?

Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the first draft of the Declaration of Independence celebrated by America250.

Congress appointed a Committee of Five to prepare a declaration: Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. The committee selected Jefferson to draft the document, and he wrote the initial version in June 1776. The draft was then reviewed and revised by the committee and the Second Continental Congress.

Jefferson was chosen partly because of his reputation as a strong writer and because he was a delegate from Virginia. He worked in rented rooms in Philadelphia, close to the Pennsylvania State House where Congress was meeting. His draft included arguments about natural rights, government, and the grievances against King George III.

Jefferson’s authorship does not mean he wrote the final text entirely unchanged. Congress edited the document, removing or altering passages before adoption. The final Declaration therefore reflects both Jefferson’s drafting and the collective action of the Continental Congress.