The Daily Feather — The Committee of Five
On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress nominated a drafting committee of five men to compose a declaration of independence. The committee consisted of one southerner – Thomas Jefferson of Virginia – two New Englanders – John Adams of Massachusetts and Roger Sherman of Connecticut – and two from the Middle Colonies – Robert R. Livingston of New York and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania. On July 1, 1776, Congress reconvened. The following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of 13 colonies, with New York not voting. Immediately afterward, the Congress began deliberating the Declaration. With minor changes by Adams and Franklin, Congressional discussions produced some alterations and deletions. But the basic document remained Jefferson's. The process of revision continued through all of July 3rd and into the late morning of July 4th, when the Declaration was officially adopted.
Jefferson’s friend and mentor Ben Franklin was also a gifted and prolific writer. Today, you can peruse 4,522 of his documents at the U.S. Founders Archive, which landed him front of mind when May’s National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) small business report hit.