26 PART oNE • THE AmERiCAN sYsTEm
Natural Rights
Rights held to be
inherent in natural
law, not dependent on
governments. John Locke
stated that natural law,
being superior to human
law, specifies certain
rights of “life, liberty, and
property.” These rights,
altered to become “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness,” are asserted
in the Declaration of
Independence.AN iNdEPENdENT CoNFEdERATioN
On April 6, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted for free trade at all American
ports with all countries except Britain. This act could be interpreted as an implicit declara-
tion of independence. The next month, the congress suggested that each of the colonies
establish a state government unconnected to Britain. Finally, in July, the colonists declared
their independence from Britain.The Resolution for independence
On July 2, the Resolution for Independence was adopted by the Second Continental
Congress:RESOLVED, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and inde-
pendent States, that they are absolved from allegiance to the British Crown, and that
all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to
be, totally dissolved.In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson was already writing drafts of the Declaration of
Independence. When the Resolution for Independence was adopted on July 2, Jefferson
argued that a declaration clearly putting forth the causes that compelled the colonies to
separate from Britain was necessary. The Second Continental Congress assigned the task
to him.July 4, 1776—The declaration of independence
Jefferson’s version of the Declaration was amended to gain unanimous acceptance (for
example, his condemnation of the slave trade was eliminated to satisfy Georgia and North
Carolina), but the bulk of it was passed intact on July 4, 1776. On July 19, the modified
draft became “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” On
August 2, it was signed by the members of the Second Continental Congress.universal Truths. The Declaration of Independence has become one of the world’s
most renowned and significant documents. The words opening the second paragraph of
the Declaration indicate why this is so: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.Natural Rights and social Contracts. The statement that “all Men are created equal”
and have natural rights (“unalienable Rights”), including the rights to “Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of Happiness,” was revolutionary at that time. Its use by Jefferson reveals
the influence of the English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), whose writings were
familiar to educated American colonists, including Jefferson. In his Two Treatises of
Government, published in 1690, Locke had argued that all people possess certain natural
rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and property. This claim is not inconsistent with
English legal traditions.
Locke went on to argue, however, that the primary purpose of government was to
protect these rights. Furthermore, government was established by the people throughLO2: Describe the significance
of the Declaration of Independence
and the Articles of Confederation,
as well as the weaknesses of the
Articles.
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