Abbé Sieyès was a prominent clergyman in France who supported the rights of the common people. The Marquis de Lafayette was a member of the nobility who had fought in America's war for independence against Britain. Their document was written in consultation with Thomas Jefferson of the United States, who had drafted the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence (1776) asserted the American colonies' decision to break away from British government. It included the same Enlightenment ideals of natural rights and liberties that would characterize the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen produced later (1789) in France.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was approved by the National Assembly of France on August 26, 1789, in the early months of the French Revolution.
Freedom of expression is important for democracy, because it enables the public to participate in making decisions based on the free flow of information and ideas. Without it, people would be unable to make informed decisions.
