Question

The Declaration of Independence refers to “unalienable rights.”

In your opinion, which of the following things are examples of this sort of right?

Share your ideas by checking any of the boxes that are “unalienable” in your opinion.

The right to practice your religion

The right to say what you want to say

The right to vote

The right to own property

The right to be happy

Answer 1

Here’s my view (I’m marking the boxes I consider unalienable and adding brief reasons):

[✔] The right to practice your religion
- Freedom of conscience and belief is a core personal liberty and is tightly linked to the “liberty” the Declaration references. It’s widely treated as an inherent human right.

[✔] The right to say what you want to say
- Freedom of expression is likewise a fundamental liberty necessary for autonomy, self-development, and democratic life.

[ ] The right to vote
- Important and often protected by law, but voting is a civil/political right that depends on a political system and social compact rather than an intrinsic natural right in the same sense as conscience or speech.

[ ] The right to own property
- Property rights are crucial for security and flourishing and are protected in many legal systems, but whether they are “unalienable” is debatable historically and philosophically. I’d treat secure possession and the ability to make a living as fundamental, but full property ownership is more a social/legal construct.

[ ] The right to be happy
- I don’t interpret this as an unalienable guarantee to be happy. The Declaration speaks of the “pursuit of Happiness” — the freedom to seek conditions that allow happiness — and I consider that pursuit an unalienable liberty, not a guaranteed emotional state.

If you want, I can restate these choices using the Declaration’s language (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) or give historical/legal arguments for any of the positions above.