It should also be noted that the Declaration of Independence has no "legal" effect. That is, it is not, nor was it meant to be, "law." It was merely a statement or non-binding resolution. The "law," on the other hand and of course, was later enshrined within the "four corners" of the Constitution, which mandated that black people (for the purposes of taxation, and for all other practical purposes and terms) were three-fifths of a human being.