Part One, American Government and U.S. Constitution

Lesson 10 of 27:	Name: _______________________

Part II: The Founders' Basic Principles –	28 great Ideas that Changed the World

8th Principle : Man's Unalienable Rights

Reading Assignment: The 5000 Year Leap: 8th Principle (pages 123-129)

Lesson objectives: As a result of this lesson. the student should be able to discuss the following questions/topics:

'Self-Evident Truths'

1. What is an unalienable right? What is a vested right? (pages 124-25)

Divine right of Kings:

* The right of someone to rule over someone else.

* John Locke proves noone has this right.

* No subordination of one to another.

Unalienable rights:

* Natural rights

* Given by Creator

* Need no human laws to be more effective

Vested rights: * Created by government

May be changed or taken away. [*actually protects inalienable rights]

Examples:

-right to drive on a public highway.

-right to trial by jury.

-right to go hunting during certain seasons

2. Name some unalienable rights that you hadn't thought of before reading this chapter. (125-26)

Unalienable Rights Examples:

-right to bear arms

-right to dispose of property

-right to make personal choices

-right to choose a profession (vocation)

-right to choose a mate

-right to beget one's kind

3. What did Thomas Jefferson mean by "the pursuit of happiness"? (127)

Pursuit of happiness:

-enjoyment of property

4. Name the three great natural rights. (127)

- (only 3 are the basic) life, liberty, property

- all punishments violate one of these.

5. Do states also protect unalienable rights? (128)

-Yes, they are protected in most states.

-life, liberty, property existed before government! (Quote)

6. What blessings come from the protection of life? (128-29)

-the use of natural faculties, resources and through their application: products & their use.

-Produced individuality, liberty and property

– all precede and are superior to human legislation.