Question

"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."

--Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, 1776

Thomas Jefferson's statement about unalienable rights would MOST likely have been influenced by the writings of
Responses

A John LockeJohn Locke

B James MadisonJames Madison

C Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin

D Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Answer 1

A — John Locke.

Jefferson’s language about natural, unalienable rights (life, liberty, etc.) and the idea that government’s legitimacy comes from protecting those rights is directly drawn from Locke’s writings on natural rights and the social contract.