Who wrote most of the text of the Declaration of Independence commemorated by America250?

Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the text of the Declaration of Independence commemorated by America250.

On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a declaration. The committee consisted of Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. The group selected Jefferson to produce the principal draft.

Jefferson wrote the draft largely between June 11 and June 28. The committee reviewed it before presenting it to Congress, and the delegates then made additional changes during debate. Therefore, Jefferson is recognized as the main author, but the final document was a congressional product rather than a text accepted without revision.

John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were influential supporters of independence and members of the committee, but they did not write most of the final wording. George Washington was commander of the Continental Army and did not serve on the drafting committee.