Assignment 3

All Men have a Right to remain in a State of Nature as long as they please: And in case of intollerable [sic] Oppression, Civil or Religious, to leave the Society they belong to, and enter into another.–When Men enter into Society, it is by voluntary consent; and they have a right to demand and insist upon the performance of such conditions, And previous limitations as form an equitable original compact. (p. 40) Samuel Adams We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (p. 59). Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson I chose these quotes because they refer back to the principles of John Locke who espoused the idea of “natural rights” which consisted of representative government, individual liberty and private property. He is also considered one of the founding figures of The Enlightenment on which our Declaration of Independence is based. G.K. Chesterton considers these ideas to be the “creed of America.”