Benjamin Franklin was one of the leading intellectuals of his time and one of the most consequential individuals of the 18th century. As a thinker, Franklin espoused the virtues of Puritanism while championing the tolerant values of the Enlightenment. As a diplomat he petitioned the English Parliament on tax grievances and advanced relations with the French, securing their military aid for the war against England. He was a writer, scientist, statesman, and political philosopher. As one of the Founding Fathers he helped draft and signed the Declaration of Independence, and as an inventor, his greatest creation was arguably the United States of America.

On June 11, 1776, the second Continental Congress chose a committee of five delegates to "prepare a declaration of independency." Serving along with Franklin were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Franklin edited Jefferson's initial draft, notably suggesting the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident." Jefferson's original had described these truths as "sacred and undeniable." This draft to the Continental Congress, along with many other Franklin letters and documents, is preserved and protected in the National Archives.