2008 civics test · Question 62 · Colonial Period and Independence
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Official answer
- (Thomas) Jefferson
What this means
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
He was 33 years old and drafted it in about two weeks in the summer of 1776. A committee that included Benjamin Franklin and John Adams reviewed his draft, and the Continental Congress edited it before adopting it on July 4, 1776.
Jefferson later served as the third president of the United States, and it was during his presidency that the country bought the Louisiana Territory from France.
Answer: (Thomas) Jefferson. The last name alone is accepted.
Why this is on the test
Jefferson is one of a small group of founders the test asks about by name, and this is the question where he appears.
How this question is asked
On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
This question also appears on the 2025 civics test , as question 78.
Related questions
More from Colonial Period and Independence.
- 58 What is one reason colonists came to America?
- 59 Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- 60 What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- 61 Why did the colonists fight the British?
- 63 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
- 64 There were 13 original states. Name three.