Question

2. How is the principle of natural rights reflected in the Declaration of Independence or the Articles of Confederation

Answer 1

The principle of natural rights, which includes unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is central to both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principle of natural rights is prominently reflected in both the Declaration of Independence and, to a lesser degree, the Articles of Confederation. The Declaration of Independence articulates the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," embodying John Locke’s theory that these rights are inherent and cannot be taken away by government. When the British government failed to protect these rights, the colonists declared their right to form a new government. The Articles of Confederation, however, showed a cautious approach by limiting the powers of the national government to prevent the abuse of citizens' rights, revealing a struggle to balance strong governance with the protection of individual liberties.

Answer 2

Since the other answer spoke of the Articles of Confederation, I'll give details about the Declaration of Independence.

The principle of natural rights is reflected in the Declaration of Independence's claims that the American colonists had inalienable rights which were being trampled on by the British government, and thus the colonists were right to assert their independence from Britain.

Explanation/details:

Enlightenment thinkers believed that using reason will guide us to the best ways to operate in order to create the most beneficial conditions for society. For John Locke, one of the earliest of the Enlightenment philosophers, this included a conviction that all human beings have certain natural rights which are to be protected and preserved. Locke's ideal was one that promoted individual freedom and equal rights and opportunity for all. Each individual's well-being (life, health, liberty, possessions) should be served by the way government and society are arranged. The American founding fathers accepted the views of Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers and acted on them.

The Declaration of Independence states Locke's natural rights idea in this way: "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."

John Locke, in his Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690), had expressed those same ideas in these words:

• The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions… (and) when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.