Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence. He refers to natural rights as unalienable rights and t that God gave them to men and that all men are created equal. These rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. He used natural rights ideas to justify declaring independence from England.
In general, Cortes and Pizarro had a devastating effect on the economy and lives of the people they conquered, since a large majority of them were either killed or forced into slave labor.
Well it had more to do with geographic wonders. Rivers in the area meant fertile soil and reliable water sources. This encouraged people to settle in Mesopotamia and eventually start city-states.
