Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.

On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a declaration explaining the colonies’ break with Great Britain. The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Although Adams initially thought the task might suit him, he persuaded the committee to assign the drafting to Jefferson.

Jefferson produced the main draft between June 11 and June 28 in Philadelphia. Adams and Franklin reviewed it, and the committee submitted a revised version to Congress. Congress then edited the text, removing passages and changing wording before adopting the Declaration on July 4, 1776.

Thus, Jefferson is correctly identified as the author, but he was not the only person involved. The final document was shaped by the Committee of Five and the full Congress. Another common mistake is assuming the Declaration was signed by all delegates on July 4; the engrossed parchment was signed mainly on August 2.