Committee of Five

A research paper on the committee of five discusses the Revolutionary War in U.S. History and how these men influenced the direction of America. The revolutionary background of the US will need to be over viewed in order to understand the important job the Committee of Five were given. Have Paper Masters custom write you a research paper on their role and how they worked together to formulate the Constitution.

The Committee of Five refers to the group of men charged by the Second Continental Congress with drafting the Declaration of Independence. The Committee of Five consisted of:

1. John Adams
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. Robert Livingston
5. Roger Sherman

It operated between June 11, 1776, and July 5, 1776, when the Declaration was published.

Congress and the Committee of Five

In June of 1776, the Continental Congress has decided to declare independence from Great Britain, postponing a vote until July 1 and agreeing to appoint a committee to draft a resolution. The five men were chosen to write the Declaration, but the bulk of writing was left to Thomas Jefferson. The Committee of Five left no minutes for any of its meetings; so there is little historical record how their decision-making took place. Historical anecdotes all lead to Jefferson being given the writing task as he was considered to be the most eloquent. He quickly produced a first draft over the course of seventeen days and presented it to the rest of the committee. After various changes were suggested, Jefferson produced a second draft, which was presented to the "Committee of the Whole" on June 28, 1776.

On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress debated the question of independence. The following day, July 2, Congress declared independence. The Committee of Five then produced and published the final copy on July 4, 1776.