After the Continental Congress set a date to decide whether to declare independence, they appointed five men to draft a formal declaration that could be published to the world. They wanted to be ready ahead of time so that they could move quickly if the decision was made. One of those five was Thomas Jefferson.
The other members of the committee — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston — chose Jefferson to be the writer. During the month of June, he worked on writing a declaration that would show to the world why they were deciding to become independent. At the same time, he was working on a constitution for Virginia, and of course he had other Congressional duties as well.
After he finished writing it, the document was reviewed by the other members of the committee. Adams and Franklin made some minor changes. The committee reported to Congress on Friday, June 28, and the declaration was “laid on the table”.
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