Question

Look at the excerpts below from the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence (excerpts) -1776
• "All men are created equal, ... they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."
• "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect [sic] their
Safety and Happiness."
Which Enlightenment thinker's ideas most influenced the parts of the Declaration of
Independence listed above?
Voltaire
Adam Smith
Montesquieu
John Locke

Answer 1

I think the answer is John Locke

Step-by-step explanation:

John Locke came up with the idea of the social contract, which allowed the government to govern the people, but in return the people could overturn the government if they were unsatisfied with the way the government was ran. This also adds on to John Locke's natural rights theory.