Natural Rights

Definition

Natural rights are fundamental rights that are inherent to all human beings, regardless of any government or legal system. These rights are considered to be inalienable, meaning they cannot be taken away or denied by any authority.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The concept of natural rights was central to the Great Awakening, as it challenged the authority of the established church and emphasized the individual's direct relationship with God.
2. In his pamphlet 'Common Sense,' Thomas Paine argued that the American colonies had a natural right to self-government and independence from the British monarchy.
3. The Declaration of Independence cites the 'unalienable rights' of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' as justification for the American colonies' break from Great Britain.
4. The Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution was designed to protect the natural rights of citizens from infringement by the federal government.
5. The idea of natural rights was a driving force behind the American Revolution, as colonists sought to defend their inherent freedoms from the perceived tyranny of the British Crown.

Review Questions

• Explain how the concept of natural rights was reflected in the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment.
  • The Great Awakening emphasized the individual's direct relationship with God and the inherent rights of all people, challenging the authority of the established church. Similarly, the Enlightenment philosophers, such as John Locke, argued that all individuals possess natural rights that are inalienable and cannot be taken away by any government or authority. These ideas of natural rights and individual liberty were central to both the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment, and they laid the groundwork for the American colonists' push for independence and self-governance.
• Describe how the concept of natural rights was reflected in Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' and the Declaration of Independence.
  • In his influential pamphlet 'Common Sense,' Thomas Paine argued that the American colonies had a natural right to self-government and independence from the British monarchy. Paine's ideas about the inherent rights of the colonists to determine their own political fate were echoed in the Declaration of Independence, which cites the 'unalienable rights' of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' as justification for the American colonies' break from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence's emphasis on natural rights was a pivotal moment in the American Revolution, as it provided a moral and philosophical foundation for the colonists' fight for independence.
• Analyze the role of natural rights in the American Revolution and the framing of the U.S. Constitution.
  • The concept of natural rights was a driving force behind the American Revolution, as the colonists sought to defend their inherent freedoms from the perceived tyranny of the British Crown. The Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution was designed to protect the natural rights of citizens from infringement by the federal government, further cementing the importance of natural rights in the founding of the United States. The idea that all individuals possess inalienable rights that cannot be taken away by any authority was a core principle that shaped the American Revolution and the establishment of the new nation, with the Constitution and its amendments serving as a bulwark against the encroachment of those fundamental liberties.

Related terms

Unalienable Rights: Unalienable rights are natural rights that cannot be taken away or surrendered, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Social Contract:

The social contract is an agreement between the government and the people, where the people give up some of their natural rights in exchange for the protection and order provided by the government.

Enlightenment:

The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasized reason, individualism, and the inherent rights of human beings.