ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <title>Patriot Week - First Principles - Unalienable Rights</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/main_layout.css"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="images/logo.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="logo"></div> </div> <div id="main"> <div id="top_bg"></div><!--/top_bg--> <div id="content_bg"> <div id="content"> <!-- Navigation -------------------------------> <div id="nav"> <div id="nav_item1"> <div id="dropDownWrapper" class="menu_text"> <div id="menuItem" onclick="location.href='index.html';"><a href="index.html">Home</a></div><!--/menuItem--> <div id="line"></div> <div id="menuItemCurrentSub" onclick="location.href='first-principles.html';"><a 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given away</strong> <br /><br /> The Declaration of Independence proclaims as a self-evident truth the First Principle that &ldquo;all men are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.&rdquo; <br /><br /> Thomas Jefferson explained the essence of the Founding Fathers&#39; understanding regarding the First Principle of unalienable rights when he wrote that&ldquo;a free people claims their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as a gift from their chief magistrate.&rdquo; <br /><br /> In other words, a basic maxim of American government is the recognition that some rights derived from Nature may not be taken or violated by the government. <br /><br /> This First Principle turned topsy-turvy the prior understanding of authority and rights. Putting aside a few ancient democracies and republics, Kings and nobility historically were the origin of authority, and they granted rights and privileges to their subjects. The people did not possess rights - only privileges - and they were dependent upon the pleasure of the rulers. <br /><br /> Nevertheless, America boldly proclaimed at its birth that some rights were endowed by man&#39;s very nature  and that individuals are incapable of relinquishing them. Because these rights are endowed in people from Nature&#39;s God, they are inherent in each individual and cannot be abandoned  in other words, such rights are unalienable. <br /><br /> Hence, &ldquo;the sacred rights of mankind,&rdquo; Alexander Hamilton observed, &ldquo;are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.&rdquo; <br /><br /> The recognition and protection of unalienable rights is a centerpiece of America. </div> </div><!--/leftcolumn--> <div id="right_column"> <img src="images/unalienable_rights.jpg" /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="disclaimer_text">Painting of Declaration of Independence by John Trumball (1817-1818)</div> <br /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="body_text"> <ul> <li class="no_bullet"><a href="first-principles.html">The First Principles</a></li> <li>September 11: <a href="revolution.html">Revolution</a></li> <li>September 12: <a href="rule-of-law.html">The Rule of Law</a></li> <li>September 13: <a href="social-compact.html">The Social Compact</a></li> <li>September 14: <a href="equality-gender.html">Equality - Gender</a></li> <li>September 15: <a href="equality-race.html">Equality - Race</a></li> <li>September 16: <a href="unalienable-rights.html">Unalienable Rights</a></li> <li>September 17: <a href="limited-government.html">Limited Government</a></li> </ul> </div> <br /><br /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="tagline_text"><b>Help Renew the Spirit of America.</b></div> <div id="cta" onclick="location.href='join-the-effort.html';"></div> <div id="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119416264739170&ref=ts" target="_blank"><img src="images/facebook.jpg" alt="Find us on Facebook" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/PatriotWeek"><img src="http://www.twitterbuttons.com/upload/badges/afd40ba764twitterbutton-0106.gif" title="By: TwitterButtons.com" alt="By: TwitterButtons.com" width="195"/></a></div> </div><!--/rightColumn--> <div style="clear:both"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div id="horiz_line"><img src="images/horiz_line.gif" width="900" height="1" align="absmiddle"/></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>About Patriot Week</b> <br />&#187; <a href="index.html">Home</a> <br />&#187; <a href="first-principles.html">First Principles</a> <br />&#187; <a href="founding-fathers-patriots.html">Founding Fathers/Patriots</a> <br />&#187; <a href="activities.html">Activities</a> <br />&#187; <a href="schedule.html">Patriot Week Schedule</a><br />&#187; <a href="2011-public-events.html">2011 Public Events</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Patriot Week Resources</b> <br />&#187; <a href="materials-resources.html">Materials and Resources</a> <br />&#187; <a href="flags.html">Flags</a> <br />&#187; <a href="documents-speeches.html">Documents and Speeches</a> <br />&#187; <a href="original-constitution.html">Original Constitution</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Participants & Organizers</b> <br />&#187; <a href="2010-participants.html">2010 Participants</a> <br />&#187; <a href="2009-participants.html">2009 Participants</a> <br />&#187; <a href="board-of-directors.html">Board of Directors</a><br />&#187; <a href="advisory-board.html">Advisory Board</a> <br />&#187; <a href="about-judge-warren.html">About Judge Warren</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Media / News</b><br /> &#187; <a href="media-clips.html">Media Clips</a><br /> &#187; <a href="movies.html">Movies</a><br /> &#187; <a href="michigan-senate-resolution.html">2009 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2010-michigan-senate-resolution.html">2010 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-Michigan-Senate-Resolution.html">2011 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2010-michigan-house-resolution.html">2010 Michigan House Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-michigan-house-bill-4464.htm">2011 Michigan House Bill 4464</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-Michigan-Senate-Bill-282.html">2011 Michigan Senate Bill 282</a><br /> &#187; <a href="newspaper-articles.html">Newspaper Articles</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> &#187; <b><a href="join-the-effort.html">Join the Effort</a></b> <br />&#187; <b><a href="contact-patriot-week.html">Contact Patriot Week</a></b> <br />&#187; <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119416264739170&ref=ts" target="_blank">Find Us on Facebook</a></b> </div> <div id="end_cap"> <div class="copyright">&#169; 2010 Patriot Week</div> </div> </div><!--/footer--> <div id="end_cap_bottom"></div> </div><!--/wrapper--> </body> </html>