Who wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250?

Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence honored by America250.

Congress appointed a five-person Committee of Five to prepare the document: Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The committee chose Jefferson to write the first draft, largely because of his reputation as a strong writer.

Jefferson drafted the document in June 1776 while staying in Philadelphia. The other committee members reviewed his work, and Congress then revised the text during debate. Congress removed sections, changed wording, and approved the final version on July 4.

Jefferson was therefore the principal drafter, not the sole author of the final document. The committee and the Continental Congress shaped the text that was ultimately adopted. A major passage concerning slavery was removed during the congressional revision process, showing that the finished Declaration reflected political compromise as well as Jefferson’s writing.