According to the Declaration, from where do natural rights originate?

According to the Declaration, from where do natural rights originate?

• A. a Written Constitution
• B. The government
• C. God
• D. Each other

Answer: (C)

Natural rights originate from God. The Declaration grounds rights in the Laws of Nature and Nature's God and says individuals are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights. That language means these rights are inherent to every person and exist independently of any government or human institution. Governments exist to protect these rights, deriving their legitimate power from the consent of the governed, not to grant them. So the divine source—God—is what the Declaration identifies as the origin of natural rights.

Natural rights originate from God. The Declaration grounds rights in the Laws of Nature and Nature's God and says individuals are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights. That language means these rights are inherent to every person and exist independently of any government or human institution. Governments exist to protect these rights, deriving their legitimate power from the consent of the governed, not to grant them. So the divine source—God—is what the Declaration identifies as the origin of natural rights.