The Declaration of Independence is considered one of the most important documents in American history. The declaration is so important because it gives us a foundation of ideas and principles on which our country is built, starting with the idea that “all men are created equal.” Our ancestors continued to expand on this subject, writing about a variety of new things about life and liberty, reflecting in their writings their vision of our country. However, they didn't just pull these new philosophies and ideas out of thin air. What is little known is that the ideas of our ancestors originate from the Age of Enlightenment and emanate from various European philosophers and thinkers. Three of the most influential ideas to emerge from the European Enlightenment are natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the social contract. These three ideas serve as the foundation of the Declaration of Independence and our country as it is today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One can cite the most famous passages from the Declaration of Independence and find the idea of ​​natural rights. John Locke used this term to describe the rights that all individuals naturally possess. In the declaration, the founders refer to these rights by asserting that “all men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” We consider the rights listed as: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” In this text, the rights to which they refer are “granted by their creator” i.e. they are natural, and “inalienable” i.e. they cannot be violated. Throughout the declaration, the ancestors later justify their separation from England in several ways. One of their justifications is that the king directly violated and suppressed these natural rights among many others. Our ancestors would no longer tolerate this tyranny. The ancestors' most notable grievances concerned the lack of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the idea that the authority and integrity of government arise from the consent of the governed. The fathers asserted, “He refused to pass any other laws for the housing of large quarters of people, unless they would relinquish those people.” This is one of many grievances listed in the declaration regarding popular sovereignty. One of the most powerful sentences in the declaration states that “…governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The consent of the governed is popular sovereignty, with the people controlling their government and its operation. This shows us how the colonists had a vision of democracy in which they wanted to shape our country. This brings us to the idea of ​​the social contract. That there is a contract between the government and its people, and that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these purposes, the people have the right to modify or abolish it.” The colonists firmly believed that not only did the people have popular sovereignty, but they also decided that the government and the people should be linked. The people will control the government in exchange for the government's righteous control over the people. Consent is required from both sides. There was no social contract under the tyranny of King George. The colonists wanted a democracy, where a king could not simply repeatedly inflict a "long series of abuses and usurpations, invariably pursuing the same objective, manifesting an intention to subject them to absolute despotism."..