Advanced Placement US History (AP US History) Practice Exam

The author of the Declaration of Independence is Thomas Jefferson. He was selected to draft the document by the Continental Congress in 1776 because of his skillful writing and articulate expression of Enlightenment ideals. Jefferson's writing reflected the philosophical influences that emphasized individual liberty and the rights of man, most notably derived from thinkers such as John Locke.

Jefferson's draft introduced the core principles of democracy and the notion that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed. The Declaration not only announced the American colonies' separation from Britain but also outlined the fundamental rights that were deemed inalienable, asserting that "all men are created equal" and have certain unalienable rights, such as "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

While other figures listed played significant roles in the American Revolution and the formation of the new government—George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army, Benjamin Franklin as a key diplomat and advocate for independence, and John Adams as a prominent advocate for independence and one of the signers—they did not author the Declaration itself.