Which passage from the Declaration of Independence reflects the Enlightenment principle of popular sovereignty? A.They are endow
ed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. B.Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. C.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. D.The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations.
B. Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
This phrase expresses the principle of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the idea that government's power should be determined by the people.
The idea of popular sovereignty was argued by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. American founding fathers took a number of their ideas from the political philosophy of John Locke. Locke's <em>Second Treatise on Civil Government</em> put forth his social contract theory, emphasizing popular sovereignty, natural rights, and offering a design for a representative form of government.
