Unalienable Rights and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Legacy of the Declaration of Independence

Abstract

As far as the Declaration of independence is concerned, the self-evident truths that Jefferson talked about were that all men are equal. Their creator endows them with certain unalienable rights (Jefferson, 2019). Jefferson further expounded on the unalienable rights, which included the right to life, liberty, and the right to pursue happiness. In any case, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence emphasized that everybody deserved to live a happy life because a supreme being created all to be happy and fulfill a purpose. On the other hand, the government, which is instituted among men, Jefferson (2019), must ensure that the people who must be well protected and the rights of the people are also guaranteed. In this case, the government must ensure that the people are fulfilling their purpose on earth in pursuit of their happiness and purpose in life. The Declaration meant that no one person is born with automatic or natural rights to rule and govern the nation (Jefferson, 2019). Anybody is eligible and capable of ruling because all are equal. Similarly, the law should be applied equally to all, and no one is above the other as far as the law is concerned. In the Declaration of independence, unalienable rights mean those things that cannot be man-given and cannot be taken away. They are the things that man must pursue, in this case, life, liberty, and happiness (Jefferson, 2019). In this case, therefore, the government must ensure that its citizens are encouraged to pursue happiness, live a good life, and uphold their right to liberty. But for a government to do this, it must be free from any form of oppression or colonies. It is only a free state that can uphold these values and rights to its citizens. For these...