It took approximately three weeks for the drafting committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress to write the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Committee of Five, comprising Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams, and Robert R. Livingston, was formed on June 11, 1776, to draft the declaration. Over the next several weeks, the committee worked diligently, with Thomas Jefferson serving as the primary author and Benjamin Franklin and John Adams contributing significant edits. The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776, and adopted on July 4, 1776. The drafting process thus spanned a period of roughly three weeks.