Final answer:
John Adams listed the natural rights of colonists as "life, liberty, and property," alongside other privileges such as legal protection and religious tolerance. These rights are rooted in Enlightenment ideals and signify the inherent and inalienable rights that demanded protection and, if necessary, justified rebellion to establish a government that would uphold them.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the historical context of the American colonies, John Adams referenced natural rights that colonists believed were inherent and inalienable. These were the rights to "life, liberty, and property." Accompanying these rights were core beliefs in protection under the law, such as the 1689 Bill of Rights and Act of Religious Toleration, the ability to petition the king, and the expectation that no rights or privileges could be disposed of without consent. Colonists, influenced heavily by the Enlightenment and thinkers like John Locke, put a strong emphasis on these rights, asserting that all free White males should have the right to acquire property, and once acquired, it should be protected by the government.
The very ideas of natural rights and their protection formed a crucial part of the colonists' demands from the British government. If the government failed to protect these rights, based on the principles set forth by John Locke and reflected in the Declaration of Independence, the colonists claimed the right to rebel and form a new government that would secure their life, liberty, and property.
Overall, the ideology of the colonists was steeped in the belief of natural (God-given) rights, natural laws, moral standards, and religious tolerance. This confluence of Enlightenment thinking and colonial experience underpinned the burgeoning American spirit that ultimately led to the pursuit of independence when those natural rights were perceived to be under threat.