There are many reasons why the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was said to come into existence. John C. Cairns theory says, "Still others interpret its strong emphasis on individual rights as an expression of the Calvinistic doctrine of freedom of conscience" (22). What Cairns is saying in his quote is that the document may have come into existence because of people's widespread and very optimistic views (Cairns 23-24). If this theory would stand true, the type of cause of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen coming into existence would be a long term type. Cairns' theory would have had a long term because the Calvinists, and their beliefs, been around since the sixteenth century. What this means is that if France created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen because of their Calvinistic beliefs, they must have been thinking about creating the document for a long time. Another historian's theory states that the document was profoundly influenced by the United States Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, of a number of the state constitutions in the United States, ("Declaration"). This theory would have had a short term cause. This theory would have had short term cause the United States' Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, of a number of the state constitutions in the United States, were only written a few years before the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. If the United States created their Declaration of Independence a few years before the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was created, France must have only waited that short time period, between the time which both documents were created, to create there own Independence document.
             The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was an important document in France's history for many reasons.
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