Final answer:
Adam Smith's 'The Wealth of Nations' was published in 1776, the same year the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. Both works have had an enduring impact on economics and politics, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was first published in the same year as the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Both were crucial documents in the respective fields of economics and politics in 1776. While Smith's work laid the foundation for modern economic thought through its examination of economic practices and the idea of the "invisible hand", the Declaration of Independence, drafted and signed in July of the same year, was a significant document that marked the separation of the thirteen American colonies from British rule, highlighting not only grievances but also the importance of self-governance and economic freedom.
These two seminal works, although in different realms, were landmarks of Enlightenment thought and have had a lasting influence on their respective areas. Adam Smith's ideas would go on to inspire economic policies around the world, while the principles of the Declaration of Independence continue to be a cornerstone of American democracy.