Thomas Jefferson was helped by a committee known as the Committee of Five, which included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, in making changes to the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson wrote the first draft, which was then reviewed and edited by the other members of the committee. Afterward, the draft was further edited by the entire Continental Congress before its adoption
. Specifically, Jefferson consulted John Adams and Benjamin Franklin for corrections and incorporated their suggestions into a fair copy. For example, Franklin is credited with changing Jefferson's original phrase "We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable" to "We hold these truths to be self- evident"
. The Congress also made further edits, including shortening the document by about a fourth and removing Jefferson's condemnation of King George III for imposing slavery on the colonies, to avoid alienating Southern states involved in the slave trade
. Thus, the collaborative process involved Jefferson drafting the document, the Committee of Five members reviewing and suggesting changes, and the full Congress making final edits before adoption
