The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence begins with perhaps its most famous line. “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.” This statement echoed the writings of English philosopher John Locke. Locke claimed that, in the state of nature, individuals possessed the right to life, liberty, and property.
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