Final answer:
The Declaration of Independence justifies the action of declaring independence and establishing a new government when the existing one fails to protect the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Action Justified by the Declaration of Independence
The political philosophy expressed in the Declaration of Independence centers on the ideas of sovereignty, natural rights, and the social contract, heavily influenced by the Enlightenment thinker John Locke. It postulates that when a government fails to safeguard the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the people have the right to overthrow it. This concept was a pivotal justification for the American colonies' decision to declare independence from Britain.
The Declaration argues that all men are created equal and have certain inalienable rights. If a government should fail to protect these rights, its citizens are not just entitled but obligated to alter or abolish said government. This idea deeply influenced Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration, underscoring the legitimacy of American colonists in their revolt against British rule and the establishment of an independent government.
Thus, the action that can be justified by the political philosophy of the Declaration of Independence is the action of a people to declare their independence and to establish a new government when the existing one fails to protect their basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.