. S . ▁Constitution ▁were ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁Constitution ▁of ▁the ▁Republic ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁Provin ces , ▁as ▁Federal ist ▁No . ▁ 2 0 , ▁by ▁James ▁Mad ison , ▁shows . ▁Such ▁influence ▁appears , ▁however , ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁of ▁a ▁negative ▁nature , ▁as ▁Mad ison ▁describes ▁the ▁Dutch ▁conf eder acy ▁as ▁exhib iting ▁" Im bec ility ▁in ▁the ▁government ; ▁disc ord ▁among ▁the ▁provinces ; ▁foreign ▁influence ▁and ▁ind ign ities ; ▁a ▁prec ari ous ▁existence ▁in ▁peace , ▁and ▁peculiar ▁cal am ities ▁from ▁war ." ▁A part ▁from ▁this , ▁the ▁American ▁Dec laration ▁of ▁Independ ence ▁is ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁Act ▁of ▁Ab j uration , ▁essentially ▁the ▁declaration ▁of ▁independence ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁Provin ces , ▁but ▁concrete ▁evidence ▁that ▁the ▁latter ▁directly ▁influenced ▁the ▁former ▁is ▁absent . ▁ ▁Religion ▁▁ ▁In ▁the ▁Union ▁of ▁U tre cht ▁of ▁ 2 0 ▁January ▁ 1 5 7 9 , ▁Holland ▁and ▁Ze eland ▁were ▁granted ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁accept ▁only ▁one ▁religion ▁( in ▁practice , ▁Cal vin ism ). ▁Every ▁other ▁province ▁had ▁the ▁freedom ▁to ▁reg ulate ▁the ▁religious ▁question ▁as ▁it ▁wished , ▁although ▁the ▁Union ▁stated ▁every ▁person ▁should ▁be ▁free ▁in ▁the ▁choice ▁of ▁personal ▁religion ▁and ▁that ▁no ▁person ▁should ▁be ▁pro sec uted ▁based ▁on ▁religious ▁choice . ▁William ▁of ▁Orange ▁had ▁been ▁a ▁strong ▁supp orter ▁of ▁public ▁and ▁personal ▁freedom ▁of ▁religion ▁and ▁hoped ▁to ▁un ite ▁Protest ants