"The Act of Abjuration is the English translation of the Plakkaat van Verlating, the Dutch Declaration of Independence, signed on 26 July 1581 in The Hague. It is a well written statement by provincial leaders in the Netherlands ... that cited a list of grievances and declared they would no longer be subject to the rule of King Philip II of Spain due to his 'tyrannical' behaviour. The act lead to the establishment of the Dutch Republic. The pamphlet is seen as a forerunner to the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was used a model by Thomas Jefferson when drafting the American declaration"--Back cover.