ights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" ( Jefferson 305). Just as Jefferson had borrowed his notion from Locke, King made a reference to Jefferson when he stated in "I Have a Dream," that "[the founding fathers of America] were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (King 309). As can be clearly seen, certain words that King uses come directly from the "Declaration of Independence," words Jefferson coined, or made popular. Another similar idea that these documents share is that they both make an underlying assumption that all men are created equal. Without this underline assumption for its foundation, the two works might have collapsed easily in earlier times when the statement "all men are created equal" might have not been a fact to everyone. These works show strengths and likenesses as they bring into play similar notions for the purpose of support.
             Another similarity that these two pieces share is they both can inspire un
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