Secure natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of Laws.' Only a government based on popular consent could 'combined with others to subject us to a jurisdictionįoreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our Independence was to fight for a government based on popularĬonsent in place of a government by a king who had Jefferson linked Locke's principles directly to the Powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to Laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its Governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomesĭestructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People toĪlter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, These rights, Governments are instituted among Men,ĭeriving their just powers from the consent of the We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men areĬreated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator withĬertain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Opening passage echoes Locke's social contract theory of Rights of Englishmen and universalized them into the Locke took conceptions of the traditional The Declaration drew upon French and EnglishĮnlightenment political philosophy, but one influence in That would become a dynamic force throughout the entire Nation, but also set forth a philosophy of human freedom Largely Jefferson's work, the Declaration of Independence,Īdopted July 4, 1776, not only announced the birth of a new Headed by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, was appointed to Independent states.' Immediately, a committee of five, United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and The Second Continental Congress, declaring, 'That these There still remained the task, however, of gaining eachĬolony's approval of a formal declaration. Jefferson also founded the University of Virginia and built one of America's most celebrated houses, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States.

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