Sharon Howes, age 11, of Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, for her question:

Who actually wrote the Declaration of Independence?

In 1776, the American Colonies were already at war with Britain for their independence. Many Americans wanted their intentions declared openly to the world. On June 7, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced such a plan before the Continental Congress. On June 10, the Congress named a committee to draft the Declaration. Its members were John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman  ¬and the scholarly Thomas Jefferson. It was Jefferson's task to draft the ideas in words    and his noble thoughts underlie the great Document.

You might think the task would take months of thoughtful writing, rewriting and weighing of words. Actually it was ready for Congressional approval by July 2. A few changes were made and the great document became America's official Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 members of Congress signed it on August 2.  The following men signed the Declaration of Independence.

Delaware:     George Read  Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean   

Pennsylvania: • George Clymer    • Benjamin Franklin • Robert Morris    • John Morton

• Benjamin Rush    • George Ross • James Smith    • James Wilson • George Taylor    

Massachusetts:        • John Adams        • Samuel Adams • John Hancock    • Robert Treat Paine

• Elbridge Gerry    

New Hampshire:        • Josiah Bartlett    • William Whipple • Matthew     Thornton   

Rhode Island:  • Stephen Hopkins    • William Ellery

New York: • Lewis Morris    • Philip Livingston • Francis Lewis    • William Floyd

Georgia:   • Button Gwinnett    • Lyman Hall • George Walton    

Virginia:    • Richard Henry Lee    • Francis Lightfoot Lee • Carter Braxton    • Benjamin Harrison

• Thomas Jefferson • George Wythe     • Thomas Nelson, Jr.    

North Carolina:    • William Hooper    • John Penn • Joseph Hewes    

South Carolina:    • Edward Rutledge    • Arthur Middleton • Thomas Lynch, Jr.    • Thomas Heyward, Jr.

New Jersey:   • Abraham Clark    • John Hart • Francis Hopkinson    • Richard Stockton

• John Witherspoon    

Connecticut:        • Samuel Huntington    • Roger Sherman • William Williams    • Oliver Wolcott

Maryland:        • Charles Carroll    • Samuel Chase

• Thomas Stone    • William Paca

Re read the first paragraph and note the mature dignity with which our Founding Fathers expressed their reasons for writing it.