Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What does Thomas Jefferson mean by “certain unalienable rights” in this excerpt from the Declaration of Independence? Select all that apply.

rights which cannot be taken away under any circumstances
rights which belong to everyone
rights which are secondary to a nation’s security
rights which people endured much hardship to obtain

Answer 1

The answer is the first one, “rights which belong to everyone”. The word unalienable means “unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor”. Which is almost an identical definition as that answer. It’s not “rights which belong to everyone”, because Thomas Jefferson had slaves, it’s not “rights which are secondary to a nation’s security, because if something is inalienable it can not be secondary to anything, and it’s not “right which people endured much hardship to obtain” because the idea of unalienable rights is that you have them intrinsically.