Question

Which of the following is a principle that Jefferson asserted in the Declaration of Independence?

A. The right to elect people to legislative assemblies as a protection against executive abuses.
B. Laws of nature and God are higher than any man-made laws.
C. The government should be separated into three separate branches to avoid abuses.
D. All governments by men will eventually become tyrannical.

Answer 1

Answer: B. Laws of nature and God are higher than any man-made laws.

Explanation: In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson asserts the idea that laws of nature and God are higher than any man-made laws. This principle is expressed in the famous phrase "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." In this passage, Jefferson is arguing that the rights of the people are not granted by any government or king, but rather are inherent and inalienable, and that they come from a higher authority than any man-made law. This idea helped to shape the political philosophy of the American Revolution and continues to be a foundational principle of American democracy.