In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson used some important ideas from the Enlightenment, which was a time when people began thinking about freedom and rights. Here are a few of those ideas and what they meant to Jefferson:
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Natural Rights: Jefferson talked about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These are called natural rights, which means everyone is born with these rights, and no one should take them away. Jefferson believed it was important for all people to have these rights.
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Government by Consent: Jefferson wrote that governments should be chosen by the people. This idea means that people should have a say in how they are ruled. Jefferson thought that a good government would listen to the people and protect their rights.
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Right to Change Government: Jefferson said that if a government doesn’t protect the people’s rights, the people have the right to change or get rid of it. This was an important idea for Jefferson because he wanted to show that it was okay to break away from a government that was not fair.
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Equality: The Declaration says that all men are created equal. This means that everyone should be treated the same and have the same rights. Jefferson wanted a country where everyone could be free and have the same opportunities.
All these ideas helped Jefferson argue that the American colonies should be independent from Great Britain. He thought that everyone deserved freedom and that they should not be ruled by someone who didn’t care about their rights.