Question

1. The authors of the Declaration of Independence were influenced by the ideas of direct democracy and republicanism, first put forth during which ancient civilization?

(A) Aztec and Maya (B) Greece and Rome (C) India and China (D) Israel and Persia

2. The authors of the Declaration of Independence believe the people to be the source of all power government, a principal called

(A) social contact (B) individual rights (C) Natural privileges (D) popular sovereignty

3.Authors of the Declaration of Independence believe humans to possess certain rights which can be neither taken nor given away. These roads are described in the document

(A) indivisible (B) indispensable (C) unalienable (D) unrealistic

Answer 1

1. (B) Greece and Rome
2. (D) Popular sovereignty
3. (C) Unalienable

Answer 2

#1. B) Greece and Rome

• The Athenian statesman Solon (640-558 BC) took steps that led Athens in the direction of democracy. Cleisthenes (570-508 BC) is then seen as the founder of Greek democracy. He aligned himself with the Assembly (of the people) against the aristocracy and managed to impose democratic reforms by means of a new constitution that was approved by the Assembly and implemented in 508 BC. We might also note that Athens was not fully a democracy. Athens developed a system that valued philosophy and active political involvement by its citizens. But it was not a full democracy as we'd think of it today, as those who had a political voice were free men, not women or slaves. Similarly, the Roman Republic gave political rights to some, but not all.

#2. D) popular sovereignty

• "Popular sovereignty" means the people are in charge of establishing a government over themselves. The founding fathers of the United States adopted the idea of popular sovereignty from Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke (of England) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (of France). The Declaration of Independence (1776), written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, asserted the concept of popular sovereignty. The Declaration insisted that people institute governments in order to secure their rights, and that governments get their authority from the consent of the governed."

#2. C) unalienable

• The final version of the Declaration of Independence uses the spelling unalienable. That was the copy of the document as transcribed by John Adams, which was used for printed copies to be made. Thomas Jefferson's original draft used the spelling inalienable. The two variations of the word were both in use at the time in the 18th century. Either way, the word means something that cannot be made alien to you -- in other words, something that cannot be taken away from you.