Natural Rights
What unites Americans?
The U.S.A is a very diverse place.
Many people move here for better opportunities.
Many have different beliefs and customs.
So with all the diversity, what causes them to come together?
All citizens withhold standard beliefs of equality, freedom, and justice.
These values are upheld by law.
What is the purpose of government?
It provides order and safety to its citizens.
What would happen without a government?
Chaos and anarchy would rule.
No highways, courts, hospitals, or elections.
Citizens would get no say in how the country is run.
Rulers would get their positions through violence or wealth.
The purposes of government are to keep the peace within its territory, protect its citizens, provide important services, and maintain public institutions.
How did the government as we know it come to be?
Government is created because collective action, or groups of people working together, can accomplish these purposes where individuals cannot.
Laws and public policy help direct where and how to build structures like airports.
Speed limits, punishment for crimes, and other policies help protect safety. Institutions like schools and hospitals help increase people's quality of life and improve society overall.
Government provides order to the creation and maintenance of institutions, public policy, and infrastructure so that people can exercise their rights and explore opportunities.
How does the government carry out its purpose?
Governments pass laws and public policy to carry out their purposes in specific situations. Laws are rules established by government or other sources of authority to regulate people's conduct or activities. In the United States, the U.S. Constitution is the basis for creating and following laws and policy.
Americans follow the laws and policies within three levels of government: local, state, and federal.
The Constitution guides us through the correct processes in the creation and implementation of a law. Laws place limitations on citizen behavior. However, most citizens agree with them because the law benefits the common good and protects their most basic rights
What are citizens doing to help the country run effectively?
A citizen's duty is to abide by the laws. This helps protect order and the rights of everyone. No one, not even the president, is above following the law.
People do not always agree that a law is fair or appropriate. U.S. citizens can challenge the laws through the courts. Citizen consent to laws, and upholding the rule of law affirms the legitimacy of government.
What are natural rights?
The U.S. Constitution protects the natural rights of human beings. The principle of natural rights has origins in ancient civilizations and religious teachings, but the modern concept of it traces to the relatively recent Enlightenment. John Locke described these rights as those of "life, liberty, and estate." When the Declaration of Independence was written, this last right was broadened to "pursuit of happiness," as owning property was not guaranteed or always necessary to provide for oneself.
Locke, and then the founders of the United States, believed God granted each person these natural rights as individuals.
The idea of individual, natural rights heavily influenced the founders of the United States. It led them to include a list of specific protections for rights, the Bill of Rights, as an additional section of the Constitution. We can trace all of these rights to the ideas of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
What is consent of the governed?
A government is legitimate only if the people agree with its existence. Early Americans declared their independence because they no longer consented to British rule, as they felt the monarch did not respect or protect their rights or their concerns. They believed that the only just government is one where the people themselves, as free and equal citizens, determine what powers and functions the government would have.
The related principle of social contract takes this a step further to say that this consent places government under an obligation to fulfill its purpose by protecting the people and their rights. If it does not, the people could withdraw their consent, abolish the government, and form a new one.