Which right is cited as essential to government legitimacy in the Declaration?

Which right is cited as essential to government legitimacy in the Declaration?

• A. Consent of the governed.
• B. Divine right of kings.
• C. Social contract of merchants.
• D. Separation of powers.

Answer: (A)

Consent of the governed is the idea the Declaration uses to explain government legitimacy. It says that governments get their just powers from the people they govern, and when a government abuses those rights or rules without the people’s consent, it loses its legitimacy and the people have a right to change or remove it. This framework contrasts with the divine right of kings, which claims authority from God, a claim the Declaration rejects. The other options aren’t presented as the source of legitimacy in the document, and ideas about separating powers relate more to how government is structured rather than why its authority is legitimate.

Consent of the governed is the idea the Declaration uses to explain government legitimacy. It says that governments get their just powers from the people they govern, and when a government abuses those rights or rules without the people’s consent, it loses its legitimacy and the people have a right to change or remove it. This framework contrasts with the divine right of kings, which claims authority from God, a claim the Declaration rejects. The other options aren’t presented as the source of legitimacy in the document, and ideas about separating powers relate more to how government is structured rather than why its authority is legitimate.