His political opponent and lifetime friend, Thomas Jefferson, achieved immortality through his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, but equally notable were the legal and constitutional reforms he instituted in his native Virginia, his role as father of our territorial system, and his acquisition of the Louisiana Territory during his first term as President.

John Adams dismissed John Dickinson, who voted against the Declaration of Independence, as `` a certain great fortune and piddling genius ''.

John Adams asserted in the Continental Congress' Declaration of Rights that the demands of the colonies were in accordance with their charters, the British Constitution and the common law, and Jefferson appealed in the Declaration of Independence `` to the tribunal of the world '' for support of a revolution justified by `` the laws of nature and of nature's God ''.

New Englanders were a bit sensitive on the subject of their complicity in Negro slavery at the time of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, as Jefferson explained in his `` Autobiography '': ``

That John Locke's philosophy of the social contract fathered the American Revolution with its Declaration of Independence, I believe, we generally accept.

Father Murray goes back to the Declaration of Independence, too, though I may add, with considerably more historical perception.

Sir -- When the colonies decided upon freedom from England, we insisted, through the Declaration of Independence, that the nations of the world recognize us as a separate political entity.

Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence amid the catastrophes of revolution ; ;

During the Dorr trial the Democratic press condemned the proceedings and heralded Dorr as a martyr to the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

An essay on `` Freedom '' written at 10 years of age quoted the Declaration of Independence, the freedom given to slaves in Canada, and the views of George Washington.

Foner argues that Lincoln was a moderate in the middle, opposing slavery primarily because it violated the republicanism principles of the Founding Fathers, especially the equality of all men and democratic self-government as expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

Lincoln denounced the decision, alleging it was the product of a conspiracy of Democrats to support the Slave Power Lincoln argued, " The authors of the Declaration of Independence never intended ' to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity ', but they ' did consider all men created equal — equal in certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness '.

As early as the 1850s, a time when most political rhetoric focused on the sanctity of the Constitution, Lincoln redirected emphasis to the Declaration of Independence as the foundation of American political values — what he called the " sheet anchor " of republicanism.

On June 12, 1776, a day after appointing a committee to prepare a draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental Congress resolved to appoint a committee of 13 to prepare a draft of a constitution for a union of the states.

* 1724 – Lyman Hall, American physician, clergyman, and statesman, signer of United States Declaration of Independence ( d. 1790 )

* 1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence took place.

The Declaration of Independence refers to " unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America " adopted by the " Representatives of the united States of America " on July 4, 1776.

* 1766 – Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, politician, and preacher, helped draft the Texas Declaration of Independence ( d. 1861 )

* 1721 – Roger Sherman, American statesman and signer of the U. S. Declaration of Independence ( d. 1793 )

The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tablet evoking upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

* 1776 – American Revolutionary War: word of the United States Declaration of Independence reaches London.

* Declaration of Independence of Quito, proclaimed independence from Spain on August 10, 1809, but failed with the execution of all the conspirators of the movement on August 2, 1810.

On 30 June 2000, Muslim nations that are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference ( now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ) officially resolved to support the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, an alternative document that says people have " freedom and right to a dignified life in accordance with the Islamic Shari ’ ah ", without any discrimination on grounds of " race, colour, language, sex, religious belief, political affiliation, social status or other considerations ".

The Declaration says that Israel and Jordan ended the official state of enmity and would start negotiations in order to achieve an " end to bloodshed and sorrow " and a just and lasting peace.

The Declaration says at article 11, " It is the duty of physicians who participate in medical research to protect the life, health, dignity, integrity, right to self-determination, privacy, and confidentiality of personal information of research subjects.

Despite much scholarly opinion against the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration, belief in the document remains important to some North Carolinians, says historian Dan L. Morrill, who notes that the possibility that it is genuine cannot be entirely discounted.

At the Forum for Food Sovereignty in Sélingué, Mali, 27 February 2007, about 500 delegates from more than 80 countries adopted the " Declaration of Nyéléni ", which says in part:

The Declaration of Independence says " whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundations on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

The Paris Declaration says all countries must have procedures in place by 2010 to report back openly on their development results.

Journalist Paul Wells highlighted items he thought were missing from the Declaration, saying " The Calgary declaration says nothing about health care, good schools, the return of prosperity, the slow rebirth of a thoughtful Canadian foreign policy, or the possibility of sharing good ideas and ennobling projects with fellow citizens who don't speak the same language but who share the same values.

China's Declaration on the territorial Sea, promulgated in 1958, says in part,

The pastor and congregation say the Confiteor and the pastor says the Declaration of Grace.

In the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act was, with the consent of the Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and South African governments, passed through parliament and the Crown thus passed to the next-in-line descendant of Sophia: Edward's brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York.

Continuing Arab disquiet over Allied intentions also led during 1918 to the British Declaration to the Seven and the Anglo-French Declaration, the latter promising " the complete and final liberation of the peoples who have for so long been oppressed by the Turks, and the setting up of national governments and administrations deriving their authority from the free exercise of the initiative and choice of the indigenous populations.

As colonial rule was ending throughout the continent and as African-majority governments assumed control in neighbouring Northern Rhodesia and in Nyasaland, the white-minority Rhodesia government led by Ian Smith made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence ( UDI ) from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965, effectively repudiating the British plan that the country should become a multi-racial democracy.

The American Declaration of Independence includes the words ( which echo Locke ) " all men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; that to insure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

However, the enabling legislation that allowed for the actual abdication ( His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 ) did require the consent of the Dominion governments.

In the preamble, governments commit themselves and their people to progressive measures which secure the universal and effective recognition and observance of the human rights set out in the Declaration.

Many international lawyers, in addition, believe that the Declaration forms part of customary international law and is a powerful tool in applying diplomatic and moral pressure to governments that violate any of its articles.

The Declaration continues to be widely cited by governments, academics, advocates and constitutional courts and individual human beings who appeal to its principles for the protection of their recognised human rights.

In the Bangkok Declaration adopted by Ministers of Asian states meeting in 1993 in the lead up to the World Conference on Human Rights held in the same year, Asian governments reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In addition, global initiatives to improve the efficiency of aid delivery, such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, have not been taken up by water sector donors as effectively as they have in education and health, potentially leaving multiple donors working on overlapping projects and recipient governments without empowerment to act.

Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action urges all governments to take immdiate measure and to develop strong policies to prevent and combat all forms and minifestations of racism, xenophobia or related intolerance, where necessary by enactment of appropriate legislation including penal measure.

* The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( 1948 ) is an overarching set of standards by which governments, organisations and individuals would measure their behaviour towards each other.

In 1984, the governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China ( PRC ) concluded the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, under which the sovereignty of the leased territories, together with Hong Kong Island and Kowloon ( south of Boundary Street ) ceded under the Convention of Peking ( 1860 ), was transferred to the PRC on 1 July 1997.

A group of 44 married women of western New York wrote to the Assembly in March 1848, saying " your Declaration of Independence declares, that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Other than the vague aim of " ever closer union " in the 1983 Solemn Declaration on European Union, the Union ( meaning its member governments ) has no current policy to create either a federation or a confederation.

While the Agreement was repudiated and condemned by Unionists, it was said to become the basis for developing trust and common action between the governments, which in time would ultimately bring about the Downing Street Declaration of 1993, and the subsequent republican and loyalist cease-fires.

In Paragraphs 4 to 6 of the Doha Declaration, governments agreed that:

These provisions in the Declaration ensure that governments may issue compulsory licenses on patents for medicines, or take other steps to protect public health.

" On 26 July 1945, the three governments issued the Potsdam Declaration, declaring that " the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.