Final answer:
Thomas Jefferson's main purpose in the Declaration of Independence was to justify the American colonies' separation from British rule and to establish the colonies' right to self-governance based on Enlightenment principles of natural rights. The correct option is D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main purpose of the Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was to justify the American colonies' decision to break away from British rule. The document serves as a formal proclamation of the colonies' desire for independence and outlines their grievances against the British Crown, especially King George III.
Jefferson drew upon the Enlightenment ideals of natural rights and the social contract as advanced by philosophers like John Locke, contending that the people had the right to overthrow a government that failed to protect their fundamental rights. The Declaration emphasized that all individuals were endowed with inalienable rights to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness," and it laid out the abuses by the British government, which justified the decision to seek independence.
Option 4 best expresses the author's main purpose in the Declaration of Independence: To justify breaking ties with Britain. The document was neither a celebration of the Gilded Age, a call for progressive reforms, nor a questioning of the need for independence. The list of grievances in the Declaration illustrated how the British government failed to respect the colonists’ rights and, ultimately, how it forfeited its legitimacy and authority over the American colonies. Moreover, it established the foundation for a new government based on the consent of the governed, legitimizing the revolutionary action of the Continental Congress.