Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, central to the America250 story?

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, central to the America250 story.

In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed the Committee of Five to prepare a declaration. The committee included Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.

Jefferson produced the original draft between June 11 and June 28, 1776. The committee and Congress then reviewed, edited, and revised his text before its adoption on July 4.

Jefferson was therefore the principal drafter, but he was not the only person involved. Adams and Franklin were especially influential in the committee’s deliberations, while Congress made substantial changes to the submitted draft.