Final answer:
True, people do have the right to alter or abolish a government if it violates their natural rights, a concept supported by John Locke and delineated in the Declaration of Independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is true that people have the right to alter or abolish a government if it violates natural rights. This principle is deeply embedded in the philosophy of John Locke, and is famously echoed in the Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1776. The Declaration states that governments are instituted to secure unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, and when a government becomes destructive of these ends, it is not only the right but also the duty of the people to establish a new government.
Locke's arguments on governance and the social contract directly influenced the American Revolution and the founding principles of the United States of America. Moreover, Locke considered the Glorious Revolution of 1688 as a legitimate expression of the people's right to revolution, establishing that when government breaches the contract by infringing on natural rights, revolt is justified. It is significant to note that during the Revolutionary Era, changes to state constitutions did not extend the right to vote to women, indicating that even revolutionary principles were applied selectively.