Jefferson states that a government can only rule over those who consent to that power. By this Jefferson would be saying that when a government uses a colony for its own selfish ends ie exploits the colony by taking more than it gives back, then that colony has the right to rebel because it is being oppressed and this oppression includes the threat of military force if its' for example economic demands are not met. If the citizens do not consent to the foreign power's control over their lives then they have the right to fight to establish a government that meets their needs. This was a similar struggle to that of Simon Bolivar in Venezuela when he led the creoles and the natives against the cruel Spanish rule.
