The escalation of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal led to distrust among the public of the American government. Up until the 1960's and 1970's, Americans were typically approving of the government. They patriotically followed President Roosevelt into World War II and praised the government for helping them out of the Great Depression. The government played it relatively safe in the '50's and Americans didn't mind because they were experiencing great prosperity and didn't want to get involved in another major war. By the time the '60's and '70's rolled around, the Vietnam War was a source of contention because people didn't really agree with the war and the government began hiding information and lying to the public to maintain what little support they still had. The real hit came when Nixon became implicated in the Watergate scandal causing the public to mistrust the government even more. Both of these events demonstrated to the American public that the great leaders of America aren't as great as they're played up to be.
The correct answer is: ""That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, 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 their Safety and Happiness." According to the principle of Social Contract developed by 18th century Philosophers (notably Jean-Jacques Rousseau) a government is only legitimate if it respects the authority that people have consented to give it in order to protect their inalienable human rights and that it loses such legitimacy when it does the opposite, the people (the governed) have the right to modify it or overthrow it.
