Different Author - Declaration of Independence

[Beck Reilly]

In May of 1775, it was Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia and probably the best orator in the Continental Congress, who put forth the motion to declare complete independence from Britain. In OTL, it was Lee who was to write the Declaration of Independence, as well. However, the next month, when the committee to actually write the document was formed, Lee was absent, home tending to his wife who was ill at the time. In his place, Thomas Jefferson was tasked to write the document, and the rest is history...

What if Anne, his wife, had not gotten sick?

It would have been Richard Henry Lee, not Thomas Jefferson, who became known as the Author of Independence. This would have drastically changed the politics of the post-War era. Jefferson, being rather shy and never having been known for the D.O.I., may never have become famous or become President. Lee, however, would have become widely known not only for being an excellent orator, but also for writing the Declaration of Independence...