<P> The United States Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson , and then edited by the Committee of Five , which consisted of Jefferson , John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , Roger Sherman , and Robert Livingston . It was then further edited and adopted by the Committee of the Whole of the Second Continental Congress on July 4 , 1776 . The second paragraph of the first article in the Declaration of Independence contains the phrase `` Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness '' . </P>
<P> The United States Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson , and then edited by the Committee of Five , which consisted of Jefferson , John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , Roger Sherman , and Robert Livingston . It was then further edited and adopted by the Committee of the Whole of the Second Continental Congress on July 4 , 1776 . The second paragraph of the first article in the Declaration of Independence contains the phrase `` Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness '' . </P>
when was life liberty and the pursuit of happiness written
when was life liberty and the pursuit of happiness written
1776
1776