Final answer:
John Locke influenced the Declaration of Independence through his ideas about unalienable rights and the social contract theory, which held that governments must protect citizens' rights. His notion of representative government was also central to the creation of a new government based on the consent of the governed.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Locke's philosophical writings heavily influenced Thomas Jefferson while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Locke's notion of unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and property (reframed by Jefferson as the pursuit of happiness) were central to the American colonists' view of legitimate government. The Declaration's pivotal assertion that "all men are created equal" reflects Locke's belief in natural rights and his social contract theory, which posits that people have the right to overthrow a government that violates their rights.
Furthermore, the principles of Locke regarding representative government rejected the notion of absolute monarchy prevalent at the time and promoted the idea that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed. Thus, Jefferson, influenced by Locke, argued that the colonists had the right to establish a new government that would respect and protect their inalienable rights, and that the British monarch's failure to do so justified the declaration of independence from England.