PSCI 1201 American Government Test 1 Practice

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was a Virginian delegate chosen as the main drafter by the Continental Congress, which created a Committee of Five to prepare the document. In his draft, Jefferson laid out why the colonies sought independence, articulating that people have unalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and that governments derive their authority from the governed. He also detailed the colonies’ grievances against King George III and declared independence from Britain. While Jefferson authored the core text, members of the Committee of Five, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, contributed and suggested revisions during the debate. George Washington was leading the army at the time, not drafting the Declaration, and James Madison later became pivotal for the Constitution, not this particular document.