Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?

• A. George Washington
• B. Benjamin Franklin
• C. Thomas Jefferson
• D. John Adams

Answer: (C)

Thomas Jefferson wrote the main text of the Declaration of Independence. When the Continental Congress decided to declare independence, they appointed a Committee of Five to draft the document, and Jefferson, a Virginian, authored the initial draft in June 1776. His draft set out the colonies’ reasons for breaking with Britain, presenting natural rights and a long list of grievances against King George III, and it famously asserted that all people are created equal. The others on the committee—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston—helped revise and shape the final version, but Jefferson was the principal author responsible for the core wording and ideas.