What are some similarities between the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man?

No matter where you’re from, you’ve surely heard of all the important documents that laid the foundation for the birth of America. But when it comes to the Declaration of Independence vs. the Constitution, what’s the difference, actually? We’ve gotten to the bottom of it, and even thrown in some other facts about the Declaration of Independence (and its signatures) and the Constitution. For more on American history, check out this 4th of July trivia and these 4th of July quotes. Plus, what is the 4th of July anyway?

What’s the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?

In short, the Declaration of Independence states that the United States of America is a country in its own right, independent of England, and includes a list of grievances against the king of England, while the U.S. Constitution formed our federal government and set the laws of the land. There are no amendments to the Declaration of Independence, but the Constitution originally had 12.

Is the Declaration of Independence older than the U.S. Constitution?

The Declaration of Independence dates back to 1776. The document was finalized on July 4 of that year, though it was not officially signed by representatives from all the 13 colonies until August 2. Did you know that? Test how well you know the Declaration of Independence.

The U.S. Constitution wasn’t written until the Constitutional Convention, from May 25 to September 17, 1787.

Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence and went on to serve as the third president of the United States.

James Madison, who is considered the “Father of the Constitution,” would go on to serve as the fourth president of the United States.

What are the preambles?

The preamble to the Declaration of Independence begins with the famous sentence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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.”

The U.S. Constitution begins with “We the people of the United States of America,” which is notable because it shows that the Constitution is “of the people, for the people, and by the people of the United States.” At the time it was written, the idea of a government “for the people” was novel.

Who signed both documents?

One of the most common misconceptions is that both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were drafted and signed by the same people. Despite the two documents being written just 11 years apart, only six men—George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson—signed both. Jefferson was not involved in writing the Constitution and wasn’t even in the United States in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention. At the time, the future third president was serving as the American Minister to France. Did you know that the reason we set off fireworks for Independence Day has to do with the Founding Fathers?

Declaring independence was a momentous moment but also one fraught with peril for those who put their John Hancock on that document. It was seen as a treasonous act against England. Given that, it’s surprising that there are more signatures on the Declaration of Independence (56) than on the Constitution (39).

Did these documents create equality?

Neither document condemned nor attempted to halt the business of slavery, despite the preamble to the Declaration of Independence stating that “all men are created equal.” Some believe Jefferson meant that phrase to mean all humanity is created equal, and according to Constitution Facts, “Jefferson had originally included language condemning the British promotion of the slave trade,” but that language was later edited out. Jefferson himself was a slave owner, and he was no longer alive when Black Americans became free.

Meanwhile, the Constitution allowed for each slave to count as three-fifths of a person when determining representation in Congress and taxation, in what became known as the “Three-Fifths Compromise.” Smaller, Southern slave-owning states were wary of larger states having too much power in the House of Representatives and argued that slaves should count in some way toward their population counts. Also read about why even hate speech is protected under the U.S. Constitution.

At the time the Declaration of Independence was written, women were not included in the “All men are created equal” statement, either. In addition to not uniformly having the right to vote until the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution in 1920 (much later than many other countries), back in 1776, most women were essentially considered the “property” of their fathers or husbands.

How many copies of each were made?

There were about 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence printed by John Dunlap and distributed throughout the colonies. Those precious copies are now known as “Dunlap Broadsides”—they are super rare and now worth a fortune. It’s thought that only 25 of these copies still exist. The next time you’re at a yard sale, keep your eyes peeled because a few decades ago one lucky shopper unknowingly purchased a previously unknown Dunlap Broadside for $4 at a flea market and sold it for $2.4 million in 1991.

The Constitution, on the other hand, was only written down once, although 14 copies of the Bill of Rights were produced, one for each of the original 13 states and one for the federal government to keep.

Visit the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom housed inside The National Archives in Washington D.C. to see the original Constitution, a copy of one of the original Declarations of Independence, and a copy of the original Bill of Rights, including the 12th proposed amendment that was not ratified. Next, learn about all the glaring grammar mistakes in the U.S. Constitution.

Sources:

Myths About the U.S. Constitution

Originally Published: May 18, 2021

• The obvious choice would be to compare the two great declarations…because they have a ton in common. The Marquis de Lafayette based much of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen on the ideas and words of his friend Thomas Jefferson, who helped draft this declaration too.

  The two aren't exactly alike, they set out to accomplish very different goals, including trying to stick-it to very different kings, but they overlap in a lot of their Enlightenment era thinking.

• While the Declaration of Independence mentions equality and the idea that mankind has certain rights that can never be taken away, it stops short of actually listing them outright.

  That task is left up to James Madison, who wrote the Bill of Rights. It was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1789…the same summer that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was written.

  Coincidence? Probably not.

  Madison was a good friend of Jefferson, who was serving as Ambassador to France and hanging out with Lafayette while all these rights were being put into lists. They frequently shared ideas and read drafts of each other's writing, so the Bill of Rights for both America and France were created at the same time by cross-Atlantic pen pals.

• One of the biggest, most revolutionary ideas within the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is popular sovereignty. You know: letting the people participate in their government by voting politicians in and out of office.

  One of the Enlightened philosophers who suggested popular sovereignty was the Englishman John Locke. He wasn't the first to come up with it, but through his writings he repeatedly championed the idea that people should be allowed some kind of say in their government.

  Like most Enlightenment thinkers, he was stealing ideas from the republic of ancient Rome and updating them with modern ideas of representation that reflected the will of the people. His thoughts would probably not have been popular with King Louis XVI, who thought that the only government participation people should have is politely asking him for something.

• Rousseau was a French-Swiss guy who suggested getting rid of the class system decades before the French Revolution. And that makes him a strong influence on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

  Rousseau had some ideas that were way ahead of his time. He suggested that there's a social contract between leaders and the people they govern. If the contract is violated, the people should replace their leaders—a bold idea in a time of monarchies. He also said that when society makes distinctions between people—like calling some of them nobles and others peasants—that's the root of all inequality and unhappiness in the world.

  He took this idea to the extreme by suggesting people were better off living in the wilderness without the burdens of society. Most people choose not to go that far (um, modern plumbing is also a major source of human happiness).

  Even without people running off to the woods, he probably would have really liked the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen; it was finally putting his philosophy to use.

• Hidden within the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is the idea that citizens have the right to start a revolution if their government isn't treating them fairly—which is a pretty bombastic statement to make.

  Remember that the Declaration blames all France's problems on the corruption of the monarchy and the National Assembly is trying to do something about it. This idea of fighting against tyranny comes from a 13th-century saint named Thomas Aquinas. He said it was okay to curb the powers of a monarch in order to avoid oppression, which by the way is not very Christian.

  Aquinas was kinda one of the first people to start asking kings WWJD. According to him, Jesus said not to become a dictator and take advantage of your power. We think that's probably good advice.