Question

Which quotation from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence supports the idea that the United States is based on a social contract?

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.”
“[T]hey are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Answer 1

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Reason: that line expresses the social‑contract idea that government’s legitimacy comes from the consent of the people, not from divine right or heredity.