Final answer:
The correct answer is B) Jefferson saw the king as the symbol of tyranny and the primary decision-maker. Jefferson made a case for independence against the king due to the monarch's specific actions violating colonists' rights and liberty, in line with John Locke's social contract theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Jefferson was careful to make a case for independence against King George III and not against all the people of Great Britain because he viewed the king as the symbol of tyranny and the primary decision-maker, responsible for the specific actions that violated the colonists' rights. Option B) Jefferson saw the king as the symbol of tyranny and the primary decision-maker is the correct answer. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson listed numerous grievances against the king, emphasizing that the royal authority had failed its subjects by imposing taxes without consent, interfering with trade, denying jury trials, and quashing self-government. These intrusions were seen as intolerable acts against the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — principles deeply rooted in Enlightenment thought, particularly the social contract theory of philosopher John Locke.
Jefferson's aim was to establish a government with limited federal involvement, drawing on his belief that government should not heavily interfere with individual liberties. Rather than indicting the British populace, Jefferson focused on the king's actions, as they were a direct affront to the concept of a government that derives its powers from the consent of the governed.