Question

(Hurry! Overdue paper! 15 points!

According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the main purpose of government?
• Circle the correct phrase.
• to protect and support the king
• to expand and defend the territory
• to help and protect the people and their rights

Where do governments get their power? Circle the correct phrase.
• from the strength of the army and navy
• from the amount of money they have in the treasury
• from the agreement of the people they govern
• from the royal family

Answer 1

The purpose of the government according to the Declaration of Independence is to protect people's unalienable or ("natural") rights.

According to the Declaration of Independence, the government gets its power to govern from the people that it governs. As the Declaration says, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. This was an idea that derived from Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke.