The preamble to the declaration of independence outlines the principles upon which the new government would be based. which of these best describes one of those principles?

a government based on a social contract

the end of taxation without representation

the removal of the british military

a need for equality regardless of race or gender

The correct answer is

A) a government based on a social contract

The preamble to the Declaration of Independence discusses how the political bands (connection) they had with Great Britain was no longer working. This is due to the failure of the government to protect the rights and liberties of its citizens. This failure to protect citizens is a violation of the "social contract."

The idea of the social contract is based around the fact that citizens will willingly give up some of their rights in order to have a government that will make laws and protect them. However, at this time, the Americans felt that the British government was not living up to this idea. This was one of the many reasons why the colonists broke away from Great Britain.

The preamble to the Declaration of Independence outlines the principles upon which the new government would be based. A government based on a social contract is the best describes one of those principles (A).

EXPLANATION  

In 1776, thirteen British colonies in North America revolted against British rule. After more than a decade of disputes regarding taxation and government representatives. When the Revolutionary War was taking place, representatives of each colony agreed that it was time to submit a statement expressing the colony's reasons for wanting independence.

This important task then fell to Thomas Jefferson, who was a lawyer in Virginia, aged 33 years old. His assignment was inspired by the English Enlightenment philosopher John Locke.  Locke’s writings on government give two important ideas to Jefferson:

•That all humans are born with “natural rights,” including the right to protect their lives, liberty, and property

•That government is a “social contract” between people and their rulers, which can be dissolved if rulers fail to promote the people’s welfare

Although these ideas appear to be quite soft by modern standards, in the 18th century they were tantamount to betrayal. European nations were led by kings, who exercised the divine rights of the king and owed little or nothing to the will of their people. British citizens have the right, of course, but nobody dares to say that the British kingdom can be dissolved.

However, Jefferson in writing the Declaration hoped to dissolve relations between the American and British colonies. He drafted the Declaration and gave it to his colleagues, John Adams from Massachusetts and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, to be revised. After submitting their suggestions, Jefferson submitted the Declaration to the colonial representatives for approval.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

•How did Thomas Jefferson get elected?

KEYWORD: Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independent, America.

Subject: History

Class: 10 -12

Subchapter: Declaration of Independent  

sumerians were responsible.

profound political, administrative, and social changes in the british isles.