The Committee of Five, consisting of Roger Sherman, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, was chosen by the Second Continental Congress to draft a declaration explaining why the 13 colonies were declaring independence from Britain. The document they wrote included a preamble listing grievances against King George III and a formal declaration of American independence. Caesar Rodney, Delaware's third delegate who was dying of cancer, rode through the night to break a tie in Congress and vote in favor of independence. Copies of the declaration were then sent to all 13 colonies.

1. Committee of Five