Which individual is associated with drafting the Declaration of Independence?

Which individual is associated with drafting the Declaration of Independence?

• A. Thomas Jefferson
• B. George Washington
• C. Alexander Hamilton
• D. James Madison

Answer: (A)

Thomas Jefferson is the person associated with drafting the Declaration of Independence. He was a Virginia delegate who, as part of the Continental Congress’s Committee of Five, wrote the draft that explained why the colonies should break from Britain and laid out their philosophical justification for independence. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, but Jefferson did the actual writing. The document was presented to Congress and adopted on July 4, 1776. The other figures listed played different roles: George Washington led the Continental Army, Alexander Hamilton contributed to revolutionary and early American political thought but did not draft the Declaration, and James Madison later became a key architect of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.

Thomas Jefferson is the person associated with drafting the Declaration of Independence. He was a Virginia delegate who, as part of the Continental Congress’s Committee of Five, wrote the draft that explained why the colonies should break from Britain and laid out their philosophical justification for independence. The committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, but Jefferson did the actual writing. The document was presented to Congress and adopted on July 4, 1776. The other figures listed played different roles: George Washington led the Continental Army, Alexander Hamilton contributed to revolutionary and early American political thought but did not draft the Declaration, and James Madison later became a key architect of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.