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They are natural in that you have them by virtue of existing; if you were alone on a deserted island you would be able to exercise them. The traditional interpr
by Georgelemental 4y ago
They are natural in that you have them by virtue of existing; if you were alone on a deserted island you would be able to exercise them. The traditional interpretation in the US is that they come from God: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
- SketchySeaBeast 4y agoConsidering all the slaves the authors of the declaration of independence owned, I don't know how to reconcile those thoughts.
- Georgelemental 4y agoOf the five main drafters of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson was the only slaveowner. Jefferson was definitely a huge hypocrite on this question, but he at least had the decency to feel guilty about it. In fact, Jefferson's initial draft of the document included a paragraph condemning slavery and blaming the British crown for it—though unfortunately, this passage was excised from the final version.