Which idea did leaders of the American Revolution share with Enlightenment thinkers?

Which idea did leaders of the American Revolution share with Enlightenment thinkers?

• A. Colonies exist to provide raw materials and markets for mother countries
• B. Goverments may restrict freedom of speech and of the press during times of crisis
• C. Factories and businesses should be owned by the government rather than by individuals
• D. The people have the right to overthrow their government if it abuses its powers

Answer: (D)

The main idea tested is that government gains its authority from the people and must protect their natural rights; if it fails or abuses those rights, the people have the right to change or remove it. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke argued that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed and exists to safeguard life, liberty, and property. If a government violates those duties, the people are justified in altering or abolishing it and instituting a new form of government. Leaders of the American Revolution drew on this exact line of thought, expressing that when a government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to throw off such government. This is echoed in the Declaration of Independence, which links the pursuit of happiness and other unalienable rights to the authority of the people and the ability to alter or abolish a tyrannical regime. The other ideas—the mercantilist notion that colonies exist mainly to supply raw materials and markets for the mother country, the claim that speech and press can be restricted in crises, or the view that businesses should be owned by the state—do not reflect Enlightenment political theory about justified rebellion and government by consent.

The main idea tested is that government gains its authority from the people and must protect their natural rights; if it fails or abuses those rights, the people have the right to change or remove it. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke argued that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed and exists to safeguard life, liberty, and property. If a government violates those duties, the people are justified in altering or abolishing it and instituting a new form of government. Leaders of the American Revolution drew on this exact line of thought, expressing that when a government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to throw off such government. This is echoed in the Declaration of Independence, which links the pursuit of happiness and other unalienable rights to the authority of the people and the ability to alter or abolish a tyrannical regime. The other ideas—the mercantilist notion that colonies exist mainly to supply raw materials and markets for the mother country, the claim that speech and press can be restricted in crises, or the view that businesses should be owned by the state—do not reflect Enlightenment political theory about justified rebellion and government by consent.