Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, the founding document honored by America250.
Jefferson was appointed to the Committee of Five that prepared a declaration for the Second Continental Congress. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson drafted the text in June 1776, drawing on ideas about natural rights, government, and the right of revolution.
The committee revised the draft, and Congress debated and edited it before adopting the final Declaration on July 4, 1776. Jefferson was the principal drafter, but the document was a collective political act rather than the work of one person alone. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were especially involved in reviewing and revising the text.
George Washington is a common wrong answer because he was commander in chief of the Continental Army and later became the first president. He was not a member of the drafting committee. America250 commemorates the document’s adoption and the independence claim it announced.